Chewy Granola Bars




2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup oat flour, (blend rolled oats in a blender or food processor until powdery to make oat flour) or substitute 1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350° F, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut. Freezes well.

*****
I have been searching for months for a great granola bar recipe. Something chewy in the middle but with a little crunch. One that wouldn’t be rock solid and one that wouldn’t crumble after taking the first bite. Something that my husband would agree to as a suitable replacement for the current packaged yucky ones he packs for a lunch. After a few months of tinkering with several recipes I finally found one that we both enjoy. The egg in the recipe is unique which seems to hold everything together and gives the bar the chewiness I’ve been looking for. They have been a perfect snack and store great in the freezer- a new staple in our home.

It’s not exceptionally healthy but in every aspect it’s healthier than the packaged ones I was looking to replace- yeah! Yield 20 bars (44 grams each). 189 calories, 3 grams protein, 8.4 grams fat.

Powered eggs work well in this recipe. Recipe adapted from www.allRecipes.com.

13 comments:

emily said...

YOU ARE AMAZING! Just yesterday, I was searching through all my cookbooks for a granola bar recipe! I'm trying this right away! Thank you

Emily said...

I know you like to tinker with recipes, so keep me posted if you come up with some positive adaptions.

I know they could be a little healthier with some flax seed or chopped nuts but I haven't tried those yet. Happy Baking!

Thanks, Emily

Amanda said...

I made these Friday night- they are delicious! My toddler loves them too.
I have to be careful with preservatives, so I'm glad I found your blog. I'll be trying more of your recipes! Thanks for sharing!

Emily said...

Hi Sunchips- I'm glad you hear the granola bars were a success, thank you for sharing! If there is a particular recipe you are looking for that isn't on my blog, just let me know.

Thanks,
Emily

Rebekah said...

This looks delicious! My husband will love these, so I look forward to trying this recipe. :)

The Sinks said...

Do you use quick cooking oats or old fashioned ones? I am definitely going to try this! I would like to add nuts, too...do you think I should alter any other ingredients or just add them in as well?

Emily said...

I usually use the old fashioned rolled oats but I have used quick oats and haven't noticed a big difference.

If you are adding a small amount of nuts I think you'll be fine to throw them in. If you are adding several different kinds of nuts and seeds, I'd decrease the amount of rolled oats. Good luck!

Rebekah said...

I just pulled my first batch of these out of the oven and they are wonderful!

Given what I had in the kitchen, I tweaked a few things... I used the quick cooking oats rather than the old fashioned oats and I used oat bran as a substitute for the wheat germ. I completely omitted the chocolate chips. I also cut the sugar in half and used some white sugar (because I ran out of brown).

Absolutely delicious. This is definitely a keeper. :)

Amy Dansie said...

Hi Emily, You're blog is amazing. I am going to try and make these and trying to figure out how many points they are on weight watchers.

Yield 20 bars (44 grams each). 189 calories, 3 grams protein, 8.4 grams fat.
Is this per serving? Any idea how much fiber in these. Thanks a mIllion!!1

Amy Dansie

Emily said...

Hi Amy! Yes, the batch yields 20 bars. Each bar is 189 calories with 1.2 grams of fiber per serving (made with the 1/2 cup of oat flour instead of wheat germ). Hope you enjoy them.

Amy Dansie said...

Thanks a Million!! These are so yummy. I just have to be able to control myself and not eat 10 of them and only 1. Thanks for the recipe. They are great!!

Emily said...

So glad to hear that you like them! I checked out your weight loss blog- the recipes there look great! Good luck with your journey- are you doing a weight watchers program?

Chris said...

I made some very similar to these a couple of weeks ago, and they were delicious and filling! I added some soy nuts as well and it gave them a little more protein for after a workout.