Crunchy Granola Bars
"I love those nature's valley crunchy granola bars and I also like those sweet and salty granola bars as well as fruit granola bars! But notice how you can't seem to get everything you want in a granola bar without sacrificing the healthy aspects. Anyhow, I adapted this recipe from one off a blog I stumbled across (http://katescreativekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/03/sweet-and-salty-granola-bars.html--she has other good recipes to offer also!)."
photo by TheCook.
- Ready In:
- 35mins
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Yields:
-
1 bar
- Serves:
- 20
ingredients
- 3 cups oats, toasted (I use the quick-cooking kind)
- 1 cup nuts (almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, whatever!)
- 1 cup dried fruit (raisins, dried cranberries, etc. or chocolate chips!)
- 1⁄2 cup pretzel
- 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
- 1⁄3 cup peanut butter, melted
- 1⁄3 cup butter, melted
- 1⁄3 cup honey
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
directions
- To toast oats spread them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes or until just golden.
- Mix all ingredients.
- Firmly press into a cookie sheet or jellyroll pan lined with grease parchment paper.
- Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes.
- Cool completely and cut.
Questions & Replies
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Does anyone read these comments any more? -
Does anyone know if you’re supposed to crush the pretzels or not?
Reviews
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These are so good I'm having to restrain myself from eating the whole pan!! They actually got crunchy, which surprised me and made me really happy! We used walnuts, almonds and peanuts and tossed them together with the oats and toasted them all together. I melted the butter, honey and peanut butter together and added it last. One thing that might make yours better than mine is to use a small cookie sheet so the bars will be at least a 1/4" thick or more. Thanks for the recipe, it's incredible!!
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This is an awesome recipe. I added almonds, pecans, white chocolate chips and dried cranberries, and I used maple syrup instead of honey and coconut oil instead of butter. I baked them for 15 minutes and they came out nice and crunchy. They're so tasty, I kept grabbing a piece every time I went into the kitchen. I will be using this recipe when the moods hits for crunchy granola bars and switch up the addins depending on my what I feel like. So happy they came out so good!! -
Sorry for a negative review but these did not turn out for me. I used a 9x13 inch pan and I even baked an additional 15 min but the bars did not stay together and did not crisp up at all. The honey mixture was also a bit too sweet for me. -
Great starter recipe, very flexible. I've made this 4 times now, with different ingredients every time. I make a double batch, and get 32 bars out of it. Dried cranberries and almonds with a splash of real vanilla is my favorite so far. If you make a double batch, bake them about 10 minutes longer, and when they come out, use wax paper over the top to smoosh them down so they hold together better. They won't be as crunchy as Nature Valley, but they're delicious, and go a long way! -
Great recipe! I left out the fruit and pretzels. I used coconut oil instead of butter and added some wheat germ and ground flax seeds to the mix. Nice and crunchy! Quick and easy to make too! Thanks for sharing!
Tweaks
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This is an awesome recipe. I added almonds, pecans, white chocolate chips and dried cranberries, and I used maple syrup instead of honey and coconut oil instead of butter. I baked them for 15 minutes and they came out nice and crunchy. They're so tasty, I kept grabbing a piece every time I went into the kitchen. I will be using this recipe when the moods hits for crunchy granola bars and switch up the addins depending on my what I feel like. So happy they came out so good!!
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Great recipe! I left out the fruit and pretzels. I used coconut oil instead of butter and added some wheat germ and ground flax seeds to the mix. Nice and crunchy! Quick and easy to make too! Thanks for sharing!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I'm a recent college graduate and have finally moved away from the ordering out and easy pasta dishes. I'm on Recipe Zaar trying to build up my cooking repertoire and share my favorites with my family--each member having their own quirky cooking ways.
