The best granola bar recipe
I have tried many granola bar recipes. Bake, no-bake, excessively chock-full of peanut butter, and always wilting or crumbly. It’s annoying and I decided to do something about it! So I have created the a chewy granola bar recipe that keeps it together, and is so darn delicious, I even eat it for dessert.
These particular chewy granola bars are chocolate and blueberry, but the combinations are endless once you have the base recipe. I’d say these granola bars taste the most similar to the Quaker Chewy granola bars of any recipe I’ve tried so far.
Ingredients
Rolled oats. There are two types of oatmeal in the world: rolled oats (old fashioned oats) and steel cut oats. You need rolled oats, and cannot substitute with steel cut oats. Steel cut oats are one of the purest, most unprocessed forms of oat you’ll find, so they need to be cooked for a long time to be edible.
Crispy rice cereal. Also known as Rice Krispies, this cereal gives the granola bars a much better texture than the standard granola bar recipe.
Egg whites. Egg whites bind the granola together and keep it that way after it’s been baked. Most recipes call for peanut butter, but I find the amount needed to keep granola together is overwhelming, not to mention, very high fat.
Honey, Butter, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon. More sweet emulsifiers.
Ground flax seed. Secret ingredient. It adds a fiber boost and you don’t even know it’s there. I’m nowhere near the age where I should care deeply about fiber intake, but I’m here nonetheless. I get it at Trader Joe’s.
Chocolate chips and dried blueberries. Of course, use which ever add-ins you want. I’ve made chocolate-almond-coconut that was absolutely delicious!
How to make chewy granola bars
I appreciate when a recipe doesn’t use excessive bowls and measuring spoons. This entire recipe comes together in just one bowl. I use a kitchen scale so I can pour or dump ingredients directly into the bowl without using a measuring cup or spoon (it really saves on doing dishes!), and I tare the scale, or zero it, between each new addition. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, not a problem. I provide the recipe in volumes, too.
In a large bowl, melt a half stick of butter (4 tbsp) in the microwave, about 30 seconds. Place the bowl on a kitchen scale and tare it. Add 55 grams of brown sugar (about 1/4 cup packed), 84 grams of honey (1/4 cup), and half a teaspoon of cinnamon. Whisk together. Add in 46 grams of egg whites (about 3 tbsp), 21 grams of ground flax seed (3 tbsp), 172 grams of rolled oats (2 cups), and 27 grams of Rice Krisipies cereal (1 cup). Last, add in chocolate chips and dried blueberries, about 40-50 grams or 1/4 cup of each.
Mix everything together evenly and dump the contents of the bowl into a parchment lined and greased square pan, such as an 8″ x 8″. Now here’s the trick to getting chewy, non-crumbly granola bars: press. Press the granola into the pan very hard, for a solid minute, at least. I used disposable kitchen gloves and pressed with my hands. Another smaller baking pan would work, too. Then bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes, cool slightly, sprinkle with more chocolate chips, and cut into bars.
We’re taking a trip to Hawaii soon and I’ve been thinking about all the snacks. to pack for the long plane ride, and this granola is definitely on the list. I’ve also prepped a homemade trail mix and more bagel chips. I wish more savory foods were non-perishable! Let me know if you have suggestions!
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Chocolate Blueberry Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Salted butter
- 84 grams Honey 1/4 cup
- 55 grams Brown sugar 1/4 cup, packed
- 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 46 grams Egg white 3 tbsp or two egg whites
- 21 grams Ground flaxseed 3 tbsp
- 164 grams Rolled oats 2 cups
- 27 grams Rice Krispie cereal 1 cup
- 56 grams Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/4 cup
- 40 grams Dried blueberries 1/4 cup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray and line an 8" x 8" baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt butter, about 30 seconds. Whisk in brown sugar, honey, ground cinnamon, and vanilla extract. If the bowl is cool enough, add the egg white, or wait a few minutes for it to cool before adding the egg white.
- Add remaining ingredients (flaxseed, oats, rice cereal, chocolate chips, and dried blueberries) and combine until evenly distributed.
- Pour granola into the prepared baking pan. Then press the granola hard into the pan for at least one minute. You can use your hands (disposable gloves) or another, smaller pan.
- Bake granola for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips, if desired. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into 12 equal bars. Store in refrigerator to keep firm.