Chewy Granola Balls
One of the greatest challenges when it comes to making kids snacks or desserts is coming up with recipes that are actually both healthy and something kids WANT to eat. As a parent, you want what they eat to have nutritional value, but still also have eye and taste appeal. From the moment Kenya saw these Chewy Granola Balls, I knew I fulfilled both criteria.
Loaded with whole grains, protein and fruit, these granola balls have just the right amount of sweetness and a crunchy, chewy texture that kids seem to love. I brought a batch of them to my informal “focus group” of classmates at Kenya’s school and play groups and I didn’t have enough to fulfill the demand for seconds. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, when the crowd is happy, so is mommy!
Chewy Granola Balls (Makes about 30 Balls)
1/2 Cup Almond Butter
1/2 Cup Rice Syrup
1 Cup Rice Crispys
1 1/2 Cups Granola or Wee Granola
1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries, Cherries, Blueberries and/or raisins, chopped
1. Place the almond butter and rice syrup in a small saucepan over low to medium heat and warm for 2 minutes or until it becomes smooth and combined.
2. Place the remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
3. Pour the warm almond butter mixture into the bowl with the granola mixture and stir to combine.
4. Roll into 1 inch balls (I used a mini ice cream scooper to scoop out each portion, but you could also use a tablespoon) .
5. Serve.
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These look so good! Do they store well? What do you think is the best way to keep them fresh? Thank you!!!
They store great! Just put them in a container for up to 2 weeks (if they last that long, they are usually gone before that amount of time). I usually have them on the counter, you can refrigerate them if you want but there is no need too.
Any sub for rice syrup?
Not really, because of it’s sticky tacky texture and it has a neutral flavor.
This look fantastic and I love that they use rice syrup. Yum!
Can you use brown rice syrup? All I could find.
Yes you can! Brown Rice Syrup, light brown rice, or regular rice syrup.
Thank you for replying back! I actually made the o’s & my 13 month loves them, as do I.
Could Sunbutter or soynut butter be substituted for the almond butter?
These are delicious! I bought the brown rice syrup after debating in the store for awhile. It was over $7.00 for a smallish jar! It`s very yummy, though, so I`m glad I splurged. I`m going to try to make these nut-free next time so I can send them to school in Sept.
Ooohhh! These look so good! Can sunflower butter be used in substitution for the almond butter? Thanks!
Yes! You could use any type of nut butter you prefer
I made these and my kids love them.
The problem I have was that when I finished mixing everything, I was unable to “roll” them as you mentioned, the mixture didn’t stick together. After chilling in the fridge they became a little more solid, but they still break apart constantly and don’t hold together as I envisioned. Any ideas?
I roll them when they are still warm with damp hands and it works fine. Did you roll them when they cooled? You can always press them into a pan and cut them into bars.
Help Where do I find Rice Syrup ??? I have asked a few times in a few differend stores and no one knows what I am talking about !!
Thanks
You can find it at any health food store, do you have a Whole Foods or a Trader Jo’s near you?
Don’t know if you have these stores where you live, but here in the Dallas area we have Market Street & Sprouts (farmers market store) that carry items like this.
I made these last night and they were such a hit that I made another batch today! YUM!
The first time I made these I tried them with honey instead of rice syrup because I couldn’t find it and they were good but too sweet. I just made them again with the syrup and they are a lot better! And damp hands is definitely the key to being able to form good balls. Yummy!
MMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!! These are sooooo good! I made them with the weegranola and I have to say store bought granola bars just don’t cut it anymore! I can’t wait until my little one is old enough for solid foods, but until then me and her dad are having fun tasting all these healthy kid friendly recipes
Wait, I cannot fathom it being so straihftgorward.
Absolutely fantastic. I love this recipe and it is so easy to make. It has become a staple in our house.
We love these!! The little kid, big kid, and the BIG “kids” all alike.
Question – Can these be frozen?? I’m all about making big batches of things to freeze some for later, when possible.
Thanks!
I have tried 3 different stores to try to get rice syrup…Even the health food stores here says they don’t carry it (I live in Canada). Is there anything that can be used to substitute?
In Edmonton, Canada I found this syrup in the Organic section of Save on Foods. I bought brown rice syrup.
I’m excited to try these b/c I can make them gluten-free (w/ GF rice krispys) for my daughter!! I’ve been trying to find a yummy recipe that’s GF too. This looks great!
These look great but my son has a tree nut allergy. Any substitute for nut butter?
There is a peanut-butter substitute made from soybeans (and unfortunately I can’t recall the name – Smart – something?) however you can usually locate it in the health food section next to the other nut butters. Double check the label of course to be on the safe side. It has a somewhat grainier, and definitely less sweet quality than the nut butters, so you may need to add a (oh dear) granular sugar such as brown sugar to it to get it to “adhere” properly. Good luck!
any idea what the calorie content might be for these? Thinking it might be a healthy snack for adults too
Since many people were trying to work out a substitute for the rice syrup – let me help you avoid one more thing that won’t work – Agave Nectar. It totally thinned out the peanut butter and I ended up with something more like ‘granola clumps’. However, these tasted AMAZING – even my household’s pickiest eater gobbled them up. Already picked up my jar of rice syrup so no more clumps
I made these this morning using crunchy Sunbutter and honey and they came out great. My boys love them!
Just wanted to say that these are literally my favorite snack ever and I love them so much! Thank you for sharnig the recipe!!!
Do these have a sticky texture when cooled to serve?
no they do not
These are great (kind of addicting though)! I made them with peanut butter instead of almond. Also, instead of the rice crispies, I used popped quinoa (sort of like puffed wheat but the size of Grape Nuts – I found them in the bulk food of my local health food store). It worked great with the quinoa, perhaps not as crunchy as the oringial recipe but more nutritious and still very delicious!
I made these yesterday (using peanut butter instead of almond) and they were a HUGE hit with everyone — with my 2 year old, my 1 year old, my hubby AND my in laws!! So much so that today I’m heading BACK to the store to get more granola since there’s not enough left for my daughter’s lunch this week (the original reason I made them)!! When cooled, they were nice and hard on the outside (not sticky as I thought they were going to be) and held together GREAT! Thank you so much for a fantastic treat!
[...] if peanut allergies are a concern), strawberries/blueberries, cauliflower, cajun cheese curds, granola bites (I substitute natural p.b. for the almond butter, but you could use sunbutter if nut allergies are [...]
Made the second batch of these today, cause the first batch didn’t last 24 hours in my house! LOVE these, thanks for the great recipe! I used Brown Rice Crispies and substituded some of the almond butter for 2 tbsp of nutella. Um, yummy!!!
THANK YOU for this! Looking for snacks that little hands can hold, and made with ingredients I don’t cringe at–so fits perfectly:) Just one question: Do these freeze well? Even though we are a small family, it works best for me if I can make 2-3 batches of everything and then freeze.
Thanks for the reply!
I made these for my 2yr old …and my picky husband and the both gobble them up. They don’t last long in our house. They are so good! I found the brown rice syrup at my local publix but not all publix stores carry it. Thanks for the recipe, Catherine!
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Mmmmm!!! So good! I was doubtful when I made them but they’re great and not sticky at all!
What’s the difference between Rice and corn syrup though?
The main ingredient! Corn Syrup is made from corn, Brown Rice Syrup is made from rice!
Corn syrup is high in fructose and usually made from GMO corn, which is why I prefer the brown rice syrup.