Easy & Healthy Granola Bars

These ooey-gooey granola bars turned out soo good. You can make them simple by just following this recipe, or add fun ingredients like dried fruit or chocolate chips. The whole family loved them!

so easy and yummy!

I'll be the first to say that I never even thought of making my own granola bars (seriously!!). It didn't occur to me until I was watching a video on YouTube featuring a mom making some good, homemade snacks. That got the wheels turning! I searched for an easy, healthy granola bar recipe that would suit my family's dietary needs and something that would be okay to feed my 14-month old son. I found this recipe, tried it out, and now it is a family favorite. I couldn't believe how simple these were to make and how delicious they turned out!

Easy and Healthy Granola Bars

Ingredients

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 

• 3/4 cup natural peanut butter

• ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup (I used honey)

• 2 whole eggs

• Optional add-ins: pinch of salt, tablespoon of vanilla, chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts (I added salt and vanilla)

  
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.

2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. *If your peanut butter is solid at room temperature, heat it for 10-15 seconds to make it a more drizzly consistency before adding to the mix.

3. Line a 9×9 inch baking dish or pan with parchment paper.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish or pan. Very firmly press the mixture into the pan in an even layer — the firmer you press, the better the bars will stick together. If you’re using chocolate chips, sprinkle them on top, then press them down into the bars.

5. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the center is baked through and the edges are just starting to brown. Start checking at 14 minutes, as all ovens are different.

6. Remove from the oven and place pan on a cooling rack.

7. Let the bars cool completely (this is important) before cutting into 16 squares with a sharp knife.

I ended up cutting these bars and dividing them into three different ziploc bags, putting a couple of the bags in the freezer and one in the fridge!

I can't wait to make these again. Next time, I may try using maple syrup instead of honey just to see if I enjoy the taste better. Thanks to The Real Food Dieticians for this recipe! Leave a comment with your thoughts!