Honey Nut Granola Bars are a perfect portable breakfast or snack. These are crunchy, nutty, and sweetened just enough to hold everything together. They’re super delicious and better than anything you can buy at the store.

When you think granola bars, you may think healthy, but a lot of granola bar recipes use quite a bit of sugar. Of course, sugar helps make everything stick together, but let’s not get carried away. This one is simple without a lot of extra ingredients that would take away from the taste of honey, nuts and oats.

Granola bars are tricky. You want a bar that stands up to cutting without falling apart which would give you granola and not granola bars. Pressing the mixture into the pan with the bottom of a measuring cup before and after baking is key.

The oats and almonds are baked for about 15 - 20 minutes for better flavor and a golden color. If you skip this step, the oats will taste raw and you won't achieve a crunchy, flavorful texture. You don’t want that, right?

The size of the nuts matter…(stop laughing). I roughly chop the almonds because the bigger the nut, the bigger the crunch. If you want a super easy gadget to chop the nuts, I suggest you get a food chopper. Just place the chopper over the nuts and push down the top. There’s a zig zag shaped blade that chops quickly and turns as it lifts allowing to chop in a different direction. I find it appealing to the eye to see big chunks of almonds. If you prefer, you could use sliced almonds which saves you a step.

I've made these using a 9x13 glass pyrex dish and also a quarter sized baking sheet. The baking sheet is easier to use because you can turn them right over onto a cutting board to slice. You could also use a 9x13 metal cake pan which has squared corners. This is being picky though, you what you have. I happen to have all three. In fact, I have many pans because I can't help myself from purchasing cookware. I'm seeking help.

Tools you’ll need to make honey nut granola bars:

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Life is too short for mediocre food.

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Honey Nut Granola Bars

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Honey Nut Granola Bars are a great snack any time of day. Crunchy, nutty, and sweetened just enough to hold together and taste delicious. Makes a perfect portable breakfast or snack.

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 50

Servings: bars

Author: Natalie Gregory

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oats
¼ cup oil coconut, safflower, or vegetable
1 cup almonds roughly chopped
1 cup crispy rice cereal
½ cup oat flour* can use almond flour
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon fine salt or ½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup honey (preferably local)
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla

Instructions

Heat oven to 350° F.
Combine oats and almonds in a baking sheet and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until lightly browned, shaking the pan once halfway through baking.
Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment or greased foil with an overhang of an inch on both sides. This will make it easier to lift the granola out of the pan to slice into bars. Set aside.
Transfer toasted oats into a large bowl and combine with rice cereal, oat or almond flour, sesame seeds, and salt.
In a small saucepan, over medium high heat, combine honey, brown sugar, and oil. Stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture starts to boil. Remove from heat.
Stir in the vanilla. It may sizzle and that's okay.
Slowly pour the honey mixture over the oatmeal mixture, stirring as you pour, coating everything well.
Transfer into prepared baking dish and press it down firmly to compact it evenly. I use the bottom of a measuring cup or a silicone spatula. You could also place a piece of parchment big enough to cover the top and press down with your hands. The important thing is to press down compacting it.
Bake for 25 minutes until lightly brown and the edges are golden. Check after 20 minutes as ovens vary. Use the same measuring cup as before or silicone spatula to press down on the granola while it’s still soft to compact it.
Let the granola cool at least an hour before slicing. After it’s cooled, lift the granola out of the pan by the parchment or foil overhang. Slice into 12 bars or desired size/shape.
Store in airtight container. If stacking, place parchment in between bars to prevent sticking.

Notes

*Make oat flour by placing oats in a blender and grind until fine. I use my Vitamix and spin it for about 10 seconds starting on low then moving up in speed. You could also substitute almond flour or use wheat germ.

Nutritional Information

I don't post the nutritional value because I don't trust the accuracy of the nutritional apps. I’m not a nutritionist and don't want to post misinformation.

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