I love oats; they are hearty and make a filling breakfast. I tend to make overnight oats or have oatmeal for breakfast most mornings, but I love granola bars for a quick, on-the-go meal. While I do enjoy Nature Valley and Kind bars, it’s fun to make your own and know exactly what’s going into them. They still have sugar and butter in them, but they have very few ingredients and aren’t loaded with preservatives!
I adapted a recipe from Inspired Taste. These bars are extremely easy to make, and you can do any kind of toppings – the base is always the same. Chocolate and cinnamon are by far my favorite, but I’ve also made this recipe with dark chocolate, coconut, peanuts, and pecans, as well as chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Regardless of what toppings you choose, add a few chocolate chips, as they will help keep the bars together!
Begin by toasting the oats (and nuts if you want to add them). I preheat the oven to 350 and sprayed a pan with cooking spray. I spread the oats out on the sheet and then placed them in the oven for five minutes. Meanwhile, I prepared my pan. I lined a 9-inch square pan with foil and then sprayed it with PAM. After five minutes, I stirred the oats a little with a spatula and then returned them to the oven for three more minutes. Once the oats were done, I transferred them to a large bowl.
In a saucepan, I melted butter. Then I added brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and salt. I mixed it well and then poured it over the oats!
I let the mixture sit and cool a little bit before adding in my chocolate and cinnamon chips. After they were incorporated, I patted the mixture down into the prepared pan. I used a spatula and then pressed it a little more firmly with my palm. Then I sprinkled on some more chocolate chips and placed the pan in the fridge to harden.
After two hours, I removed the pan and peeled the foil off the granola bar block. I placed the whole block on a large cutting board and got out my butcher knife. You can probably use any sharp knife, but I wanted clean cuts, so I went with the big one! I like to cut the block into either 18 or 24 bars. They can be cut into 12, but these make sweet bars, and I like eating them in smaller pieces. It makes them last a little longer this way too. They don’t last long in our house!
Recipe for Chewy Chocolate Cinnamon Granola Bars
Ingredients:
2 ½ c rolled oats
¼ c unsalted butter
1/3 c honey
¼ c brown sugar, packed
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
¼ c mini chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling on top!
1/3 c cinnamon chips
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add oats to a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Stir and bake for another 3 minutes.
Line a 9-inch square pan with foil and spray generously with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and salt. Stir over medium heat until everything is melted and smooth.
Pour the oats into a large bowl and then pour the butter mixture in with the oats. Mix well and then let it sit and cool for 5 minutes. Add in the chocolate and cinnamon chips (they will melt quite a bit!). Transfer mixture to the prepared pan, and pat down with a spatula and your hands. Top with extra chocolate chips, and then move to the fridge.
Allow the bars to cool and harden for 2 hours. Remove from the fridge and move to a cutting board. Using a very sharp knife, cut into bars! Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
taste and SPARKLE 