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Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

September 6, 2011

Do you have any idea how much money you spend on granola and/or nutritional bars for your kids? Take a minute and add it up; I would bet it's more than you think. Before you say "they're convenient", trust me, I get it. On those busy mornings when you don't have time for breakfast, there's nothing easier than tossing a bar into your child's lunch box and another one into your purse, but a majority of the brands on the market are not as healthy as their manufacturers would lead you to believe. Plus, they are made with ingredients I can't even begin to pronounce.

About 8 years ago, I got so fed up with what my husband was spending on bars to take to work with him, I devoted myself to figuring out how to make them myself. I worked so hard at it, I even flirted with starting my own bar business! These Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are unbelievably delicious and, if you wrap 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 all of the ingredients in these). But the best part? This recipe makes 30 bars. Most pre-packaged bars will run you a dollar or more. That would come out to about $30 (!) compared to the less than $4 it costs to make this recipe (and don't forget the time you'll also save not having to go to the grocery).

If you can't bear giving your kids chocolate chips first thing in the morning (my husband always gets tweaked when he sees the kids eating these at 8am), you can easily replace them with naturally sweet dried fruit like cranberries, cherries or raisins. My feeling is if my kids are going to have chocolate at all I would rather it be at the beginning of the day 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 back to school rotation!

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars  (makes about 30 bars)

  • Prep Time:2 minutes,
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes,
  • Total Time: 52 minutes,

Ingredients

  • 4 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup chocolate chips*
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup honey

Preparation

  1. 1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
  2. 2. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl.
  3. 3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
  4. 4. Pour the wet ingredients over the oat mixture and stir to combine.
  5. 5. Place granola mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet and shape into a rectangle, about 13 x 9 x 1 inch thick.
  6. 6. Bake for 40 minutes.
  7. 7. Allow to cool completely then cut into 3 x 1 inch bars.**
  8. * You can substitute raisins or other dried fruit for the chocolate chips.
  9. ** Individually wrapped, the bars will remain fresh for several weeks.

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Comments






  1. Melissa

    March 4, 2013 at 8:34 pm

    I have made these several times and love them. I’ve had the problem with them being burnt and crispy around the edges. So when I made them tonight, I used a parchment lined 9 X 13 inch glass pan instead of the parchment lined baking sheet. They turned out perfectly – a bit more chewy and no burnt, crumbly edges!

  2. Beth

    February 19, 2013 at 5:11 pm

    I made these but replaced the canola oil with only 3T of butter. I also skipped the coconut, but used 1/4 cup sliced almonds and 1/4 cup sunflower seeds and did 2 cups rolled oats and 2 cups steel-cut oats.. Mine turned out great. They stayed in bars. They were a crunchy granola bar rather than chewy. Why is so much canola oil needed? Would it make the granola bars chewy instead of crunchy?

  3. srdaniel

    February 17, 2013 at 5:19 pm

    I have a coconut allergy. Is the shredded coconut necessary? Is there anything you could recommend as a replacement?

    • catherine

      February 18, 2013 at 12:27 pm

      The coconut adds flavor, but you can definitely leave it out!

  4. notesontea

    February 5, 2013 at 4:11 pm

    I halved the recipe and used coconut not canola oil. The bottom and edges of my bars burned by 25 minutes. Still cooling….

  5. Jeannette

    February 3, 2013 at 4:38 pm

    These look delicious. I would love to make “PB&J” granola bars. Do you think it would work to replace the oil with peanut butter and the chocolate chips with dried fruit?

    • Theresa

      February 12, 2013 at 2:50 pm

      Make peanut butter chips, or actual chopped peanuts instead?

    • catherine

      February 4, 2013 at 11:19 am

      You can replace the chocolate chips with dried fruit or nuts! I’m not sure the peanut butter would be thin enough to coat everything like the oil does.

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  7. Kari

    January 22, 2013 at 1:09 pm

    I make these granola bars all the time! In fact, gave them out as holiday gifts this year and they were a huge hit!
    What I’ve learned, line the pan with parchment paper then pour the granola mix on and flatten. After taking them out of the oven, you have to wait for the bars to be absolutely cooled down before you cut them up. At least an hour. (if you can wait that long ;-) ) Otherwise you will have a crumbly mess.
    Cocunut oil is an awesome oil to use instead of canola oil.

  8. Sarah

    January 20, 2013 at 7:21 pm

    I made these today and they came out great. I read through all the comments below and took the advice of others and cut down the cooking time to about 25-30 minutes. Then I let them cool completely (about two hours on the counter) before cutting them. They were a tiny bit crumbly at the edges, but definitely far from falling apart. Will definitely make again! Oh, and I subbed the coconut for dried cranberries. Sweet and tart perfection!

  9. Theresa @ Two Much Fun

    January 17, 2013 at 5:14 pm

    I don’t know what went wrong. I followed the recipe exactly and it crumbled. I tried a second time, following several reviewers advice of pressing the mixture into a 13 x 9 inch pan, baking for 25 minutes and allowing it to cool in the pan. It still crumbled, not as much as the first time- but still unable to eat as granola bars. We saved the crumbles to top our yogurt, but I’d really love to find a recipe that we can make. Any advice?

    • Melissa

      February 26, 2013 at 9:03 pm

      I wonder if your problem is that you’re using a 9×13 pan? They are meant to be cooked on a cookie sheet – I think they might bake differently in a cake pan… Also, I bake them for only 26 minutes (Somehow 25 isn’t enough, but 27 is too much… can you tell I’ve made them enough times??) I always make these in the evening and let them cool on the counter overnight. The tend to crumble less around the edges when they have a good 8 hours to cool.

    • Ruth

      January 18, 2013 at 10:13 am

      Theresa, I had problems too with it crumbling, but now that I’ve made the recipe several dozen times, here is what works for me: mix everything VERY thoroughly and patiently, and then mix a little longer. I press the mixture very firmly into a slab-shape on a silpat-lined sheet, bake, and then let cool until it is completely room-temp. I am then able to just cut it directly on the silpat. There is a little crumbling on edges, but the bars themselves stay together. I found, with my oven, it only takes 25 minutes to bake. Bake too long, and it got too dried and crumbly. Hope this helps. My family adores this recipe!

    • Theresa @ Two Much Fun

      January 17, 2013 at 5:18 pm

      Sorry, I forgot to mention- that as granola crumbles it tastes absolutely delicious! My kiddos have loved adding this to their yogurt- although my daughter, has been searching out the chocolate chips :-)

  10. Lindsey

    January 10, 2013 at 3:03 pm

    I’d like to make these but I don’t have coconut. Will they turn out okay with out it? Do you think I could sub the oil for butter?

  11. Alexandria

    January 9, 2013 at 2:29 pm

    Any suggestions for a substitute for the coconut?

  12. Juliana

    January 5, 2013 at 10:35 pm

    What a great recipe, thank you soooo much! I only cooked for 20min and it was ready to come out. It turned out great!

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  14. Sara S.

    December 31, 2012 at 10:56 am

    I made these yesterday just as your recipe stated. Made one addition, added about a 1/2 C. of rice krispies and because of that just a wee bit more honey and oil. Stamped them down with a spatula that I had sprayed with cooking spray. Baked for about 35 minutes at 320 degrees. When I took them out, I pressed them down one more time and cooled. Came out perfect!! Not too chewy and not crunchy. They didn’t fall apart either. The kids love them and so do I.

  15. Catherine

    November 30, 2012 at 1:38 pm

    I love these, but they always crumble, so we end up eating them with a spoon. How do you make sure they stay as bars?

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  17. AndreaW

    November 14, 2012 at 1:34 am

    I just made these tonight and they are amazing. I added a little sprinkle of cinnamon and they smelled delicious as they baked! Thank you for the recipe!

  18. Melanie

    November 11, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    Just made these yet again – always a hit with the whole fami,y! Thanks Catherine!

  19. Andrea

    November 8, 2012 at 4:53 pm

    Has anyone tried cutting out some of the oil with applesauce and natural nut butter?

  20. laura

    November 2, 2012 at 7:51 am

    when you print to full page the salt and oil are not there, also the parchment paper is left out

    • catherine

      November 2, 2012 at 5:02 pm

      That is very strange. I don’t encounter that problem! Does it still list the honey and vanilla?

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  22. Cecilia

    October 15, 2012 at 10:04 am

    I am thrilled that these came out like the picture on my first try. Since I didn’t have wheat flour and not really a fan, I used white but increased the measurement to 1/2 cup. Instead of the coconut (which I will use next time), I used about 1/2 cup each of dried cranberries and raisins. and only 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. It also seemed a bit dry to me so after pressing the mixture into a greased 13 x 9, I poured about 2 Tab. of light corn syrup over the top. Only baked about 30-35 min. and let sit outside in a breeze for an hour. No problem cutting at all. They are soft and delish!

  23. RR

    October 12, 2012 at 9:17 pm

    great recipe! i bake for 35 minutes, and they come out perfectly (we like them a little on the chewy side). also, i sub safflower oil for the canola (which is genetically modified, even the organic variety, fyi).

  24. DD

    October 2, 2012 at 1:47 pm

    These didn’t stick together at all. They completely fell apart. I also used coconut oil and for flour used almond flour. They didn’t burn, but I am disappointed that they aren’t “bars” like the photo.

  25. laura

    September 25, 2012 at 7:35 am

    I used coconut oil instead of canola (that’s all I had) and they turned out great. I found that 40 mins was way too long to bake them. I burned them the first time. 20-25 mins was enough…maybe because of the coconut oil.