I’ve been trying to save money on groceries, and my husband pointed out that we spend a lot on ‘snacks’ for the kids. I decided to try and make some snacks instead of paying high prices for pre-packaged ones, and in the process I found this WONDERFUL granola bar recipe at Raising Olives. I adjusted it to fit our likings, and it turned out great!
Ingredients:
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2 cups rolled oats
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3/4 cup packed brown sugar
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3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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1 cup whole wheat flour
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1/4 cup white chocolate chips (Optional: any Dried Fruit, Raisins, Craisins, Nuts, Chocolate Chips, Coconut Flakes, have fun with this!)
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3/4 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup honey
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1 egg, beaten
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1/2 cup coconut oil (Melted! I microwave about 30 seconds until liquid, this makes it MUCH easier to work with!)
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2 teaspoons vanilla extract
STEP 1: Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×13 baking dish.
STEP 2: Mix together dry ingredients, then make a well in the center and add the honey, beaten egg, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Pat the mixture evenly into the baking dish.
STEP 3: Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are beginning to turn golden. (I did 30 because we like them softer.) Cool for 5 minutes and then cut into bars and remove from dish WHILE STILL WARM. Otherwise, you’ll have to chip it out with a chisel. But then I suppose you could use crumbled pieces for ice cream topping. So, if that’s your goal, go ahead and let it cool as long as you wish. ;o)
STEP 3: Eat one before calling in the crew, well, unless you don’t want any that is. Then make another batch.
Some substitutions: You can substitute olive or peanut oil, but I HIGHLY recommend the coconut, it provides great flavor! It’s found in the oil section of the baking isle.
Notes: I’ve never worked with coconut oil before, so I was surprised to see it. Just so you’re not surprised, this is what it looks like:
Yep, its a solid much like lard, only healthy :0) It’s important to melt this or it will be VERY hard to mix into your granola bars.
This recipe turned out so well, I’d suggest making a double batch! I keep the bars in a sealed Tupperware container which helps keep them softer.
Hope you enjoy them!
FYI- coconut oil is solid at room temp or colder, but becomes liquid when it starts to get a little warm. We don't have air-conditioning in our home and in the summer, my jar of coconut oil is no longer solid. Just thought I would point that out in case you try to take the lid off your opaque container without realizing that it may not be solid anymore! 🙂
Hi! I was a little shocked about the coconut oil being touted as healthy. (I am a Registered Dietitian now serving missionaries who retreat to Portugal–I feel a little out of the loop of what is "in" in America.) I always considered it bad because of its extremely high saturated fat content (raises LDL cholesterol). After reading through many opinions and research on the internet, I see how it has come back into good standing. I did read that it retains the anti-heart health properties if it is hydrogenated, which usually means solid. Not sure if you can buy the "oil" in a liquid form? Sounds like that would be the best option if it is available to you.Thanks for letting me ramble. I am also very thankful for the work you generously share with us!
Thanks so much for this recipe!! I will have to try it!
looks good! we love coconut oil around here. It's been given a bad rap but if you read the studies it shows it's not as bad as once believed.
Thanks for the recipe suggestion, I made a batch today without the egg (allergies here) and it is yummy.
Coconut oil is the only type of oil we use in our home (well, except olive oil) I use it in place of oil for all recipes. Personally though, I would never put it in the microwave. It's too good of stuff to kill in the microwave, I heat it on the stove in a pot. Also, virgin coconut oil is best. AND one more thing 🙂 you can buy it in bulk since it can get pricey buying it jar by jar. I like this place…http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/search/search.php?refine=y&keywords;=coconut+oil
Yep, I made these and yep, they were yum!!!! We had them on our 8 hour road trip to Grandma's house and both my kids and my parents loved them. I can't say that my version was super healthy because I threw in chocolate chips and butterscotch chips, but I also put in some hemp seed, sunflower seed and next time I'll add some flax. So filling. I'd eat one for lunch and call it good! So they will last a lot longer than the store bought granola bars which my kids can gobble up a box in a day! These home made ones fill them right up and I still have some for tomorrow. Love the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
We tried the recipe and LOVED it! We added wheat germ to the recipe. I love how you can mix it up and make different kinds, we added the chocolate chips, next batch I want to do with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. Thanks!
Wow, these are amazing! Thank you! I just found my way to your blog yesterday and tried this these evening. I will never buy another packaged granola bar again!And for anyone worried about the coconut oil, I do not like coconut but LOVED these!
Erica, this is just what I was looking for – thanks so much!I followed the link to Raising Olives, and she does mention substituting olive oil for Coconut oil…think we'll try it that way. For now, at least. =)