Homemade Granola Bar Recipe

I love granola bars. They are so good and easy to grab on your way out the door...or when your child is clinging to your knees and you just have no time to make an actual meal. Or when you are hungry for an afternoon snack. Okay, fine, they are good any time that you are awake.

Since I went dairy free, I've had quite a time finding dairy free granola bars...go figure. The KIND granola bars are really great, but they cost a pretty penny, and once I came out of my early days of being a parent malaise, I was like, "hot damn! I've been spending too much money on these bars!" In an effort to pinch those pretty pennies, I decided to make my own.

That, and I've been on Pinterest a lot lately during my daughter's afternoon naps. And there I found a ton of wonderful recipes for homemade granola bars. So it began, my quest for the best homemade granola bar recipe. Bear with me here because there is a distinct possibility this may be the first of a few recipes coming your way. Which is great if you share my passion for granola bars.

Now, I used coconut oil in the recipe because that is what I've been using these days. It's delicious and nutritious, and I found it pretty affordably at my local BJs Wholesale. You can sub in vegetable oil here if you like, or even melted butter.

I've been playing with making these no bake (which are easy, but aren't quite as good) as well as with different proportions of honey/sugar/ peanut butter. (For those of you out there who love peanut butter, don't worry, I've got something up my sleeve for later.) And I think this is a great recipe that isn't overly sweet. Some of the bars I have made in the past veer dangerously into dessert territory.

Homemade Granola Bar Recipe

Time: 45 minutes | Makes: 16 bars | Difficulty: Easy-ish 

You will need: 

2 1/4 cups old fashioned oats 

2 cups mixed nuts, chopped

two handfuls sesame seeds

two handfuls chocolate chips 

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup honey 

several dashes cinnamon 

2 egg whites 

parchment paper 

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread your oats. Bake them in the oven for about 12 minutes. 

While the oats are baking, in a large bowl mix the nuts, sesame seeds, and cinnamon. I added cinnamon and tossed it until it was fragrant to my liking, and this worked well. So just use your judgment.

When the oats are done, toss them into the nuts, and give them a good mix (I used my hand.) Then let it cool a bit while you get the wet ingredients ready.

In a bowl combine the coconut oil, honey, and egg whites. This is also a good time to line your 9 by 13 baking pan with parchment paper, which you will pour the granola bars into. I used the same parchment paper from the oats because it was easy and saves parchment paper (that shizz is expensive!)

Once the oats have cooled a bit (it doesn't take long), throw in a couple of handfuls of the chocolate chips. Again, use your judgement. More, less, whatever you like.

Stir your wet ingredients into the whole dang thing, combining fully. Using a spatula, place it all in your 9 by 13 baking dish and press in firmly and evenly.

Bake in the oven (which is still heated) for 30-35 minutes.

When done, place it on a cooling rack and allow it to cool for a couple hours (until fully cool) before cutting. To cut them, just take the parchment paper out and cut them right on the paper! Easy!

<<I stored mine in the refrigerator. >>