Chewy chocolate chip granola bars

April 08, 2016

Chewy chocolate chip granola bars

We have never done a lot of granola bars (Mom's orders) until very recently. Hannah mentioned to Calvin that sometimes she gets a granola bar after swim team and that really stuck with him. With those two doing swim team multiple times a week and every now and then the little 2 getting a granola bar after swimming they were going to make me go bankrupt. Why is one box of 6 bars $4+?

So what else would I do besides stop giving them to them after swim team and risk the hangry meltdown? (Nothing is worth the risk of hanger meltdowns!!) Of course, I would make my own. I found this recipe and goodness they are so good! Honey, brown sugar and butter as the sticky base with oats, almonds, crispy rice cereal, and ground flax. These are not your protein power balls (or whatever they are called) that are all the rage that my kids don't really care for. These are homemade granola bars that are even better than store bought. I see all sorts of variations in the future too-- cinnamon and pepitas and other healthy additions. I must add I made these in less than 30 minutes WITH Joel and Ava helping (aka slower than if I was doing it myself).

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

I basically followed the recipe from Once Upon a Chef, but this is what I did exactly

6 Tbls. salted butter

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbls. honey

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

2 cups old fashioned oats processed in a food processor until mostly fine, some big pieces are okay (or you could use instant oats)

1 3/4 cups crispy rice cereal

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup ground flax

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions from Once Upon a Chef:

Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray the foil lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large pot, combine the butter, brown sugar and honey. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
Add the oats, rice cereal, almonds and flax meal to the pan and fold with a rubber spatula until well combined.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press down lightly with a rubber spatula to even out. Sprinkle the miniature chocolate chips over top, adding more or less to suit your taste, and press down firmly with the spatula so the chips stick.The mixture should be tightly compacted in the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator for 1-1/2 - 2 hours to cool.
Use the foil overhang to transfer the uncut bars to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut into rectangles. Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you have to stack them, be sure to use parchment paper or foil in between the layers, otherwise they'll stick together and fall apart.
Note: If you are substituting dried fruit for the chocolate chips, mix it in along with the other ingredients as opposed to sprinkling over top.