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Chewy Granola Balls

March 17, 2010

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!

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Chewy Granola Balls  (Makes about 30 Balls)

  • Cook Time: 2 minutes,
  • Total Time: 10 minutes,

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 1/2 cup rice syrup
  • 1 cup rice crispys
  • 1 1/2 cups wee granola
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries, cherries, blueberries and/or raisins, chopped

Preparation

  1. 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. 2. Place the remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
  3. 3. Pour the warm almond butter mixture into the bowl with the granola mixture and stir to combine.
  4. 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. 5. Serve.
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Comments






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  1. Sonya

    March 21, 2013 at 8:29 am

    Reply

    I made these from your book-which is fabulous-but forgot to heat the nut butter and syrup. I mixed everything together and they turned out very sticky. I was wondering if I followed the recipe next time, will they come out less tacky or is that how they are any way?

    • catherine

      March 21, 2013 at 12:08 pm

      Reply

      The mixture is much easier to work with when it’s melted! They are still a bit sticky while shaping them, but not so much once they’re cooled and set!

  2. Jodi

    March 5, 2013 at 9:28 am

    Reply

    Just made with my 4 year old. Both my 2 year old and 4 year old are devouring them now. I used rice syrup, almond butter, rice krispies, pecans, pepitas, granola, and a tiny bit of dark chocolate.
    Thanks for the recipe!

  3. cbartz

    October 25, 2012 at 12:31 pm

    Reply

    I am late to the game, but wanted to cheer on this recipe some more. Just made them with my 4 year old. They were easy to make, easy to clean up, and delicious to eat.
    My recipe substitutions were peanut butter and agave … that’s all I had on hand. So far so good. :)

    Thank you!!

  4. Ruth

    October 1, 2012 at 7:54 am

    Reply

    Yum! Made these with granola, organic cocoa krispies, dried mixed fruit, and an equal mix of peanut butter and sunbutter. Based on other readers comments, I decided to make them into a loaf shape and then cut into bars when cool – no problems at all with crumbling, and the 5-yr old is scarfing them down! He has not been inclined to eat granola previously, so this is a great recipe for us.

  5. Pam

    September 19, 2012 at 6:04 pm

    Reply

    I can’t have gluten or oats….anyone have a suggestion on a substitution since I have yet to locate a granola without oats since supposedly oats are a “non-allergen food” and are the substitute for wheat in way too many things! These just sound amazing! Otherwise, I’ll just have to make them for the kids & hold myself back….

    • catherine

      September 20, 2012 at 10:39 am

      Reply

      I have seen gluten-free granola in a few places. Try looking in your local grocery or see if you can find a health food store or a higher-end grocery!

      • Pam

        September 20, 2012 at 4:46 pm

        Reply

        Thanks – I’ve seen the gluten free, but not Oat free…have you seen Oat free?

  6. Joy

    September 19, 2012 at 10:44 am

    Reply

    I am stocking the kitchen for the kids when I go out of town in a few days. I am sure I will need to make a new batch before then because they are amazingly yummy! We have lots of food allergies so I used wow soybutter and enjoy life allergy free granola.

  7. catherine

    June 11, 2012 at 3:36 pm

    Reply

    You could try a seed butter instead! And check with your pediatrician about the age limits, it all depend on you and your baby!

  8. Karla

    June 8, 2012 at 4:32 pm

    Reply

    I made these today…. used brown rice syrup and peanut butter.. kids loved them! I have a question though… i have a 13 mo old, whom also loved them… but I forgot that I shouldn’t be giving her PB till age 2… what can I substitute for the nut butter? Thanks! And thanks for the amazing recipes on your website!

  9. catherine

    April 30, 2012 at 12:14 pm

    Reply

    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.

  10. Karine

    April 28, 2012 at 8:54 am

    Reply

    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?

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  12. Laura

    October 26, 2011 at 10:38 pm

    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!

  13. smcqueen

    September 6, 2011 at 2:33 pm

    Reply

    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!

  14. Jennifer

    May 24, 2011 at 4:47 pm

    Reply

    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!!!

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  16. Jennifer

    March 20, 2011 at 2:10 pm

    Reply

    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!

  17. Sarah

    March 18, 2011 at 8:12 pm

    Reply

    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!

  18. Andrea

    March 18, 2011 at 3:09 pm

    Reply

    Do these have a sticky texture when cooled to serve?

    • catherine

      March 21, 2011 at 2:32 pm

      Reply

      no they do not :)

  19. Samantha

    March 11, 2011 at 3:32 pm

    Reply

    Just wanted to say that these are literally my favorite snack ever and I love them so much! Thank you for sharnig the recipe!!!

  20. Bethany

    February 27, 2011 at 6:42 pm

    Reply

    I made these this morning using crunchy Sunbutter and honey and they came out great. My boys love them!

  21. Deanna T.

    February 21, 2011 at 3:16 pm

    Reply

    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 :)

  22. reena

    January 20, 2011 at 2:11 pm

    Reply

    any idea what the calorie content might be for these? Thinking it might be a healthy snack for adults too :)

  23. Dan

    January 20, 2011 at 11:29 am

    Reply

    These look great but my son has a tree nut allergy. Any substitute for nut butter?

    • Carrie

      January 20, 2011 at 2:58 pm

      Reply

      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!

  24. Jennifer H

    January 20, 2011 at 11:03 am

    Reply

    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!

  25. dlwitzke

    January 14, 2011 at 2:37 pm

    Reply

    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?

    • Kim

      March 6, 2011 at 11:31 pm

      Reply

      In Edmonton, Canada I found this syrup in the Organic section of Save on Foods. I bought brown rice syrup.

    • Kelly

      January 20, 2011 at 10:01 am

      Reply

      I found this website when looking for a substitute – http://www.foodsubs.com/Syrups.html

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