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Homemade Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are so easy to make, you’ll wonder why you ever bought them in stores. They’re super healthy, slightly crunchy with a bit of sweet chocolate in every bite and absolutely delicious!
Table of Contents
Why I Make Homemade Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Do you know off the top of your head 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 bag. But, a majority of the brands on the market are not as healthy as their manufacturers would lead you to believe and are way more expensive that making them at home.
I got so fed up with what my we were spending on bars, I devoted myself to figuring out how to make Protein Bars myself. I worked so hard at it, I even flirted with starting my own business! These Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are unbelievably delicious, and if you wrap them individually, they’re 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.
The Ingredients
- Old fashioned oats: For these bars we use old fashioned oats (also know as rolled oats) as the base for our bars.
- Whole wheat flour: I use whole wheat because it has more health benefits than all purpose, but any flour you have on hand will work.
- Shredded unsweetened coconut: I know coconut can be polarizing, but you barely taste it in this recipe. If you still give coconut a hard no, you can leave it out!
- Brown sugar: This adds a touch of sweetness to the bars.
- Mini chocolate chips: If you want, you can substitute raisins or other dried fruit for the chocolate chips.
- Kosher salt: A pinch of salt balances out the sweetness.
- Oil of choice: You can use vegetable, canola, avocado or an other oil of your choosing.
- Vanilla extract: Another ingredient that just adds a little sweetness and warmth.
- Honey: The majority of the sweetness in these bars come from naturally sweet honey instead of processed white sugar.
*Exact measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below*
Variations and Substitutions
- Don’t have whole wheat flour? No worries! You can use any flour you prefer. All purpose, a cup-for-cup gluten free flour or even almond flour will work. I use whole wheat because it has more health benefits than all purpose, but use what you have on hand.
- Don’t want chocolate chips? If you’re hesitant to give your kids chocolate chips in the morning or for snack time, you can easily substitute them with naturally sweet dried fruit like cranberries, cherries or raisins.
- Not a fan of coconut? I get it. Sometimes people are just don’t love coconut. You can leave it out completely if you want. I will say, you hardly taste it in these, but do what feels best to you.
Chocolate Chip Granola Bars Recipe Video
How to Make Homemade Granola Bars
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients – oats, flour, coconut, brown sugar, chocolate chips and salt.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients – oil, vanilla extract and honey.
Step 3: Make the granola mixture by pouring the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients mixture and stir thoroughly to combine.
Step 4: Form a large granola slab. Place the granola mixture on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and shape into a rectangle about 13 x 9 x 1 inches thick. Press firmly so that the granola sticks together. Bake for 30-40 minutes in a pre-heated 325°F oven.
Step 5: Allow to cool completely then, using a large serrated knife, cut into 3 x 1 inch bars.
Storage Tips
You can store granola bars in an airtight container or individually wrapped on the counter for up to two weeks or in the refrigerator for up to a month.
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Frequently Asked Questions
I get this question a lot with homemade granola bars. First of all, let the bars cool completely before you try to cut them into bars. Also, using a large serrated knife in a sawing motion (don’t press down super hard) will help you cut them without making them crumble.
This usually happens for two reasons. One, the wet and dry ingredients weren’t incorporating together thoroughly enough. Next time, mix them really, really well so that every piece of the oat mixture gets coated in the honey/oil mixture. Two, when forming the granola rectangle before baking, press everything firmly together so it sticks.
Absolutely! To freeze these chocolate chip granola bars, add them to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 4 months. Just make sure to let them thaw for about 20 minutes before you eat them!
More Healthy Bar Recipes
These Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are delicious, healthy, cost effective and so easy to make! You’ve got to give them a try and let me know what you think by leaving a rating and comment below.
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Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
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 (You can substitute raisins or other dried fruit for the chocolate chips.)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable, canola, avocado or other oil of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the oat mixture and stir thoroughly to combine.
- Place granola mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet and shape into a rectangle, about 13 x 9 x 1 inch thick. Press firmly so that the granola sticks together.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely, then cut into 3 x 1 inch bars.
Notes
- Storage: Individually wrapped, the bars will remain fresh for several weeks.
- To Freeze: To freeze these chocolate chip granola bars, add them to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 4 months. Just make sure to let them thaw for about 20 minutes before you eat them!
- Don’t have whole wheat flour? No worries! You can use any flour you prefer. All purpose, a cup-for-cup gluten free flour or even almond flour will work. I use whole wheat because it has more health benefits than all purpose, but use what you have on hand.
- Don’t want chocolate chips? If you’re hesitant to give your kids chocolate chips in the morning or for snack time, you can easily substitute them with naturally sweet dried fruit like cranberries, cherries or raisins.
I think I perfected it to my liking. Baked on parchment, pressed into a 9 x 9 glass pan for about 25 min, then take out the entire thing (on the paper) put it on a regular cookie sheet and keep baking 10 ore min until I knew it was together enough.. YUM. It is still a bit warm and so moist! My last batch was very dry, so I made sure not to over bake it.
(I omited the brown sugar and coconut, used 1/2 cup mini choc chips.)
I love love love this recipe! I’ve made this recipe multiple times and each time is different. I’ve made them with coconut oil and also with grapeseed oil (it has a better tolerance to high heat than olive oil). I use partchment paper and have them about 3/4 inch thick when make them. 30-35 minutes is the perfect amount of time to bake them. More than that and they are burned. Hope this helps!
Simple bar and taste is great. Love that it does not have the high amount of sugar that most other bars have!
Should I be baking these in a glass dish? I formed them in a dish then put them on a pan to bake (on parchment.) thought maybe it needed air around the sides. Has anyone used a 9 x 9 brownie pan?
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maybe I should have used a smaller pan. I did try to press them firmly together but it still didn’t work too well. also forgot to mention I used coconut oil instead of canola, much healthier imo, I’d rather use olive oil than canola too
I just tried these last night but like others, I couldn’t get them to stick together and mine crumbled 🙁 I’m used to cooking the liquid ingredients together before mixing them with the dry ingredients. Also, I think they would be tasty enough w/o the brown sugar. I didn’t realize until afterward that they had both honey AND brown sugar…a little too sweet esp. with choc. chips too! Tasty though. 😉 I didn’t throw it out though…ate too much 😛 and now we just have tasty granola for a treat. Had some over yogurt this morning
I think that’s why I like this recipe for a cgnahe Alison – no oil, not too much sugar (well, compared to other granola recipes at least), and the oats stay nicely separate and crunchy. Gx
I just made these granola bars and they are absolutely delicious, sweet and chewy. I used dried cranberries because I didn’t have chocolate chips and they are wonderful. I baked them for about 34 min, just until toasted and are so good. I can’t get over how great they are. My go to granola recipe. By the way, I found you on YouTube and I love your videos.
325F for 40 min??? burned after 20 min!
I made these last night. I left out the brown sugar, used 3/4 cup of honey total, and I used coconut oil instead of canola oil. I put it in 2 different pans. One pan, I cut after it cooled and it crumbled. The other pan, after it cooled, I put it in the fridge overnight and then it stuck together. The key is to FIRMLY press it down in the pan and then it is more like a bar. Hope this helps whoever might be getting ready to make it.
Haha! Awesome, thank you!
You just need to change the name of this recipe to Legally Addictive Granola Bars! My family can’t get enough of them. We use mini-chips, and substitute chopped peanuts for the coconut, and they turn out perfectly every time!
Thank you so much! I’m elated that these are such a big hit with your family! 🙂
I love love love these bars! I have looked for granola bar recipes in the past and they were always so complicated and had off the wall ingredients that I never had on hand! But these were perfect! I added chopped dried sour cherries, toasted chopped pecans, mini chocolate chips and ground flax seeds for some fiber. They were a little over done I think I will try knocking 10 minutes off of the cooking time next time I try them…..which will be soon! I also Found that cuttin them a bit bigger made them stay together better and I even cut half of the batch into big squares for my other half……he will eat 3-4 of the one inch bars anyway! Thank you! I <3 your site and I can't wait until my 4 month old is big enough to start trying your purées and other foods!
I’ve made these twice and my kids love them! I swapped out the canola oil for coconut oil and added a few dashes of cinnamon. Definitely a new regular treat around here! Thanks for the recipe!
http://www.thewholejenny.com/2012/05/chocolate-oat-bars.html