Homemade Granola Bars
Save RecipeMy Homemade Granola Bars recipe results in the perfect portable snack packed with flavor, crunch, and chew — with no mystery ingredients.
Hi Bold Bakers!
Some of my favorite recipes to create are homemade versions of things you typically buy. From homemade cereal like my Bran Flakes Cereal recipe to Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches, no matter what it is, it’s always better homemade. My Homemade Granola Bars recipe is no exception. These quickly baked granola bars are the perfect portable snack packed with flavor, crunch, and chew, but with no mystery ingredients.
Homemade is better, and I’ll prove it!
Why do Granola Bars Need To be Baked?
While some granola bars are no-bake, like my No-Bake Granola Bars recipe, my Homemade Granola Bars are the opposite.
The reason I chose to make a baked granola bar recipe is not just because I absolutely love the toothy crunch and toasty flavor of the oats, but because the baking process helps the granola bars hold together without the use of too much liquid sweetener.
These bars start by combining a bit of honey, maple syrup, and brown sugar in a pan with butter. This forms a little bit of a sticky syrup that goes a long way. After making the syrup in a large deep pot, I go right in with lost of oats, shredded coconut, chewy dried cranberries, and chopped almonds. From there, this mixture gets pressed into a small sheet tray and baked until golden brown.
After coming out of the oven, I cut these into perfectly portioned bars — but it doesn’t stop there. In true Big and Bold fashion, I dip the granola bars in chocolate. If these don’t get you through a snack attack or an extra long afternoon, then I don’t know what will!
Why are My Granola Bars Sticky?
This can happen if you don’t allow the syrup base of the bars to properly come together. To avoid this, I suggest letting the butter melt all the way, then add in the brown sugar, honey, and maple syrup. Don’t be tempted to over stir this mixture, either. Just allow the sugar to naturally dissolve.
After the sugar has dissolved, allow this to simmer over low heat for just a few minutes. This should yield the perfect result! If your granola bars are coming out a bit sticky, it may also mean they need to be baked longer, as after baking they should be crunchy on the outside and hold together on the inside.
Why are My Granola Bars Too Crunchy?
While on the one hand, you don’t want your granola bars to be too sticky, you also don’t want them to be too crunchy either. To make sure they come out just right, I suggest you bake them for the exact time in the middle rack of the oven, allowing them to toast up evenly.
Another trick to getting them to the perfect texture is to really press the oat mixture down into the lined pan before baking the bars. This will compact the oats and all the mix-ins, making sure that the whole mix bakes and toasts up evenly from corner to corner.
What can I Add to My Granola Bars?
I love the combination of coconut, dried cranberries, and almonds. All topped off with chocolate this is heavenly. However, my recipe is wonderful to get creative with, from raisins and other dried fruit to whatever mix of nuts you have on hand, you really can’t go wrong here. If you are looking to make a slightly less sweet granola bar, feel free to leave out the chocolate too!
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My Homemade Granola Bars recipe results in the perfect portable snack packed with flavor, crunch, and chew — with no mystery ingredients.
- 6 tablespoons (3oz/85g) butter, melted
- 1/3 cup (5oz/142g) honey
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cups (9oz/255g) rolled oats
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 ½oz/43g) coconut, shredded and unsweetened
- 1/2 cup (2 ½oz/71g) dried cranberries, or raisins
- 1/2 cup (2 ½oz/71g) almonds, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate, melted
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Pre-heat your oven to 350°F (180°C), then line a 9 x 12 inch baking tray with parchment, set aside.
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In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the butter, honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
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Allow to simmer until the sugar has dissolved and a dark syrup has formed.
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Remove from the heat and fold in the oats, salt, coconut, dried cranberries and almonds. Using a spatula, continue to fold everything together until evenly coated in the syrup.
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Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared baking tray and press down using your spatula into one evenly packed layer.
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Bake the granola bars for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and toasted on top.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before lifting the whole sheet out of the tray.
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Cut them in 1 1/2 x 4 inch bars. This will yield 18.
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Dip the bottom half of each bar in melted chocolate then allow to set, chocolate side up, on a rack. If your bars do not set up after 30 minutes to an hour, place them in the fridge until the chocolate has hardened.
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Once the chocolate has set, use the additional melted chocolate to drizzle over the top for garnish. Once the chocolate drizzle has set, enjoy!
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Cover and store the granola bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. They can also be kept in the freezer for longer.
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Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, and I’m passionate about sharing my years of experience to show you how to make game-changing baking recipes with over-the-top results! Join more than 1 Million other Bold Bakers in the community for new video recipes every week!
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Do I swop equal quanties of butter for coconut oil? You said we can use coconut oil for a “healthier version
Hi Michelle,
you can do that, it is more or less a straight swap, but perhaps about 20% less coconut oil as it is pure oil, butter has a little more to it.
I hope this helps,
Gemma 🙂