Thursday, August 20, 2009

Kids in the Kitchen - Chewy Granola Bars


My kids (and husband) go through granola bars like crazy. Luckily Publix often has them BOGO; paired with coupons we can get them pretty reasonably priced. BUT the ingredient label reads like a novel. They are not horrible for you...but we have discovered better, cheaper, and fun to make :) We looked at several recipes on-line and came up with this. It is a little "cakey-er" than normal bars b/c of the flour. I might try them without.

Chewy Granola Bars

3 cups rolled oats (old fashion have more fiber)
1 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup wheat flour (use white if that is what you have)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup liquid sweetener - honey, agave nectar, brown rice syrup (this is what we used)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips or mini m&m's

You could also add coconut, raisins, nuts, etc. (up to 2 cups)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan.
In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter, sweetener and brown sugar. Stir in the chocolate chips, raisins, nuts etc.
Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving.

Go over to A Little Fun With Me and Lu to check out more Kids in the Kitchen posts!

11 comments:

  1. I'll have to try those! We like granola bars here too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That looks great. Plus a way to safe money. I will have to try this.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I will have to try these. We love granola bars, but I rarely buy them for all of the reasons you listed.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'll have to give this a try - my kids go through a box of granola bars in a flash!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I will definitely try this recipe!

    Thanks for posting it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. We love granola bars but don't keep them around anymore due to my son's allergies to artificual and processed sugars. Since we can control the ingredients in these, we'll have to try them! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Does anyone know if you can substitue corn syrup for the sweetner in this recipe?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yes, you could use corn syrup.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for the recipe! My sin is on a special diet and can't have any processed foods, this is great becasue it is all the things he can have and I have them in my kitchen.

    ReplyDelete