Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
My kids LOVE Quaker Chewy Chocolate Chip granola bars. I like them as healthy-ish snacks, but they are so expensive (even with coupons) and they only last for 2 days in my house! So I have been scouring the web, searching for a homemade recipe that is close enough to the original for my picky kiddos.
My first recipe turned out “too seedy,” ”too nutty,” and “yucky” for the wee ones. I liked them, but they were not the suitable replacement for which I was searching. The second recipe was “too much honey,” “too hard,” and “yucky” for the hard-to-please angels in my house. But I think the third time may be the charm!
I just made the second batch of these granola goodies and am hearing responses like, “mmmm,” “yummm,” and “good.” I think I even got a “Thanks, Mom.” And I like them, too…bonus! They still have quite a bit of sugar in them, but they don’t have preservatives and they last longer because I can make a bigger amount for less money. (score!)
The website where I found the recipe (through Pinterest) is www.browneyedbaker.com. I modified it just a bit to fit my family’s needs. They are super easy to make and I always have these ingredients on hand! I wrap mine in plastic wrap for easy “on-the-go” grabbing.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 4 cups quick-cooking oats
- 2 cups rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
- 2 T. flax seeds
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 6 T. mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 9×13″ pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir the oats, rice cereal, and flax seeds together and set aside.
- Melt sugar, honey, and butter in small saucepan over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the melted mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients. Press the mixture in the prepared pan and press down to ensure the ingredients are tightly compacted. Sprinkle the top evenly with chocolate chips and press down with spatula or back of a spoon.
- Cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours, or until chocolate chips are set before cutting bars. Wrap in plastic wrap or store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Makes approximately 20 bars (depending on what size you cut them).