I posted a picture on facebook a couple weeks ago of some
beautiful granola bars. I made those without peanuts and we went right through
them. This time I made 1 batch with no nuts (so my daughter could take them to
school) and a double batch with nuts.
My main reason... do you know what is in these things?! food dyes and preservatives just don't sound that appetizing to me. And it is surprisingly easy to do. Has anyone else noticed that the staples that need to be in your pantry are really simple to put together yourself... but I regress.

Thick & Chewy Granola
Bars – no bake
1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar (use less if using Peanut Butter)
1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar (use less if using Peanut Butter)
1/3 cup almond flour or oat flour (put almonds/oats in blender until you get a
powder)
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups miscellaneous stuff (i.e. I like to add cranberries, raisins, coconut
flakes, sunflower seeds, nuts, flax seeds, chai seeds, rice cereal and whatever else I have on hand)
1/3 cup peanut butter or other nut butter (if you don't want any nut butter, increase the sugar. But I like to add sunflower seed butter to my no-nut version)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1. Stir dry ingredients in large bowl. Everything except the chocolate chips.
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I like to put the seeds in the blender to disguise them from the kids. |
2.
Melt oil, honey, nut butter, and sugar until bubbly, for no
more than two minutes. Stir constantly. Let mixture cool for 2-3 minutes,
then add vanilla and stir.
3.
Pour liquid mixture over dry mixture and stir
thoroughly so that the oats and cereal are all coated.
After it is well mixed, I like to let it cool a moment before adding mini chocolate chips. They will melt a little, but I find that it is better to mix the chocolate together with the mix rather than add it to the top before pressing to avoid a melted chocolate mess on top.
After it is well mixed, I like to let it cool a moment before adding mini chocolate chips. They will melt a little, but I find that it is better to mix the chocolate together with the mix rather than add it to the top before pressing to avoid a melted chocolate mess on top.
4.
Pour mixture into pan. Press down to pack it all
down good.
I like to put foil or plastic wrap in the pan so I don’t have to grease it and run the risk of bars coming apart when I am trying to take them out of the pan. I also use a piece of plastic wrap to press the granola down so I don’t have to get my hands dirty.
I like to put foil or plastic wrap in the pan so I don’t have to grease it and run the risk of bars coming apart when I am trying to take them out of the pan. I also use a piece of plastic wrap to press the granola down so I don’t have to get my hands dirty.
5.
Place granola bars in refrigerator until set. Then
you can cut them.
6.
Store in the fridge or at room temperature. I like
to put them in ziplock bags for easy kid snacks and store them in a Tupperware for
easy kid access. I am also thinking that they save a little longer this way since I have noticed that they save 3 weeks with no problems.
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can you see my cut marks in the No-Nut version? I like to make bars, but you can make squares or triangles if you like. |
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In this picture you can see the Nut version. I took the foil/bars out of the container to cut them and put them in ziplock bags. |
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You can see my beautiful labels. "NN" for No Nuts. |
If you haven't tried this before. Take a couple minutes to whip up a batch!
Shared at Recipe Exchange, Homemade Monday, Mop it Monday, Homemade Monday, Monday Mania DIY Home Sweet Home, Cheerios & Lattes, Saturday Seven and Frugally Sustainable.
Shared at Recipe Exchange, Homemade Monday, Mop it Monday, Homemade Monday, Monday Mania DIY Home Sweet Home, Cheerios & Lattes, Saturday Seven and Frugally Sustainable.