chocolate chip granola bars chocolate chip granola barsDo you have any idea how much money you spend on granola and/or nutritional bars for your kids each year?
Take a minute and add it up. I would bet it’s more than you think. They may be convenient—on those busy mornings when you don’t have time to make breakfast, there’s nothing easier than tossing one bar into your child’s lunch box and another into your purse—but at what cost?
About eight years ago, I got so fed up with spending money on granola and nutritional bars that I decided to figure out how to make them myself. I worked so hard at it that I seriously flirted with the idea of starting my own bar business! These Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are unbelievably delicious and, if you wrap and store them individually, just as easy to grab when you’re on the go as the ones you buy at the market (plus, you’ll have no problem pronouncing any of the ingredients in these). The best part? This recipe makes thirty bars and will cost you less than $4.00 to make.
If you can’t bear the thought of giving your kids chocolate chips first thing in the morning (my husband always gets tweaked when he sees our kids eating chocolate at 8 a.m.), you can easily replace them with naturally sweet dried fruit, such as cranberries, cherries, or raisins. Still, if my kids are going to have chocolate, I’d rather it be in the morning than right before they go to bed.
Chewy and crunchy with toasted oats and a sweet surprise in every bite, these Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are a must for your lunch box rotation!
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup whole-wheat flour
½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips (or raisins or other dried fruit)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup honey
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the oats, flour, coconut, brown sugar, chocolate chips, and salt in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the canola oil, vanilla, and honey.
4. Pour the wet ingredients over the oat mixture and stir to combine.
5. Spread the granola mixture on the baking sheet and shape it into a 9 x 13-inch rectangle that’s about 1 inch thick.
6. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden and dry to the touch.
7. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then cut into 3 x 1-inch bars using a serrated knife. These bars will remain fresh for several weeks if wrapped individually in parchment or wax paper.
CHRISTA AND TRAVIS: The Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, Whole-Wheat Cheese Crackers, and Animal Crackers are absolutely delicious and a staple in our house . . . my daughter loves to help in the kitchen, I like the fact I know exactly what is in them and that they are safe for my daughter, who has peanut and tree nut allergies.
SARAH: My son has severe nut allergies. So there really aren’t any good granola bars from the store that he can eat. So we tried the Chocolate Chip Granola Bar recipe and it’s amazing! We’ve been making it for over a year now and there is no end to the different ways you can make them! So many moms have asked me where I got my recipe and I’m happy to tell them! We love weelicious!
STEFANY: Your Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are to die for! My three-year-old daughter could eat the entire batch in one sitting if I let her. I have to hide them in the pantry (yet she still seems to find them). Great recipe, thank you!
LINDSAY: My whole family LOVES and I mean loves your Chocolate Chip Granola Bars! I had never even given a thought to all of the ingredients in store-bought bars until I came across your recipe! I’m so glad I did! They are the hit of play dates and a go-to snack I can feel good about feeding my family!
KIM: I make a double-batch of your Chocolate Chip Granola Bars every other week. There is a one-per-day rule, or else they disappear way too quickly! When I talked about buying granola bars at the store during a busy month, there was a resounding protest from my family! I recently shared the recipe on Facebook and now a friend is making them regularly too!
CRYSTAL: The whole family loves these bars—including my husband! I freeze them in individual bags so they are handy when I’m making lunches, or packing snacks for a car trip. The best part is, they’re so easy to make!
RUTH: Be warned—the Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are highly addictive. We go through a batch every week and haven’t purchased commercial granola bars in years.
