The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (2024)

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The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (1)

By Natalie Monson

Published on May 14, 2015

55 Comments

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This Peanut Butter Chocolate Trail Mix Granola Bar Recipe is made with wholesome ingredients to create homemade granola bars you feel good about eating.

The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (2)The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (3)

Hi friends! It’s Amber, back visiting from Dessert Now, Dinner Later! Today’s recipe is so delicious that it’s almost like eating dessert, but it’s packed full of wholesome ingredients like nuts, oats, flax, dried fruit, and even a little bit of semi-sweet chocolate.

The ingredients in these granola bars reflect several of the goodies you would find in a trail mix, but they’re packed into the convenience of a bar. Perfect for those busy on-the-go days, after school snacks, or to pack along for hiking fuel. Extra bonus, they’re NO BAKE!

The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (4)

Kids and adults alike will love munching on these chewy peanut butter granola bars, with the salty-sweet combo ofcrunchy nuts andtender dried cranberries and raisins. They just hit the spot! Salty-sweet combos are kind of my favorite! Especially these granola bars with the little specks of mini chocolate chips – perfection!

The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (5)

Sizing–

If you make these in an 8×8-inch dish they are nice and thick, but you can totally use a 13×9-inch dish for thinner granola bars, and more of them! If you have munchy kids like mine, then you will probably fly through these granola bars!

The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (6)

If you’re reading this post because you like granola bars, you might also be a granola fan. You must check out my Honey Almond Coconut Granola to top on someyogurt mixed with fresh fruit! It’s the perfect healthy topping!

Anyway, get to making these granola bars! They’d be perfect topack along on those random day-trip adventures during the summer. Summer is almost here, after all! (Wahoo!) Enjoy!

The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (7)

~Amber Brady is a wife, mother, mormon, andculinary graduate! She shares her favorite recipes, tips, tricks, and tutorials on her blog Dessert Now, Dinner Later.Here she’llhelp you be an outstanding home cook with culinary know-how!

The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (8)

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3.3 from 96 votes

Peanut Butter Chocolate Trail Mix Granola Bars

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Refrigerate1 hour hr

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12

Calories: 449kcal

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup almonds, whole
  • 6 ounce cashews
  • 1 1/2 cup oats, dry
  • 1/3 cup flaxseed, ground
  • 1/2 cup mini chips chocolate chips, semisweet
  • 1/3 cup cranberries, dried
  • 1/3 cup raisins, seedless
  • 1 cup peanut butter, all-natural
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

  • Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving extra on the sides to pull the bars out of the pan. For thinner granola bars, use a 13×9-inch baking dish.

  • Roughly chop the almonds and cashews, or pulse the nuts gently in a food processor or blender until medium-small pieces. Place the chopped nuts in a large bowl with the old fashioned oats, ground flax, mini chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and raisins. Mix together.

  • In a separate microwave safe bowl, melt the peanut butter. Stir in the honey and sea salt. Allow the mixture to cool slightly (so the chocolate chips won’t melt). Pour the peanut butter mixture in the bowl with the dry ingredients. Fold ingredients together with a spatula until everything is coated.

  • Press mixture into the parchment lined baking dish, packing it tightly. Cover and refrigerate for at least1 hour. Pull the granola slabout of the pan with the edges of the parchment paper. Cut into a minimum of 12 bars. These granola bars are best stored in an airtight containerin the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Optionally store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 10 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 449kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 194mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 25g

Keyword : Peanut Butter Chocolate Trail Mix Granola Bars

www.superhealthykids.com

The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (9)

Natalie Monson

I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

Learn More about Natalie

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55 Comments

Would any sweetener work or does it have to be honey? I’m thinking maple syrup.

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The honey kind of works like glue with the peanut butter to shape the granola bars and keep them no-bake. Maple syrup should work too though. I wouldn’t sub with stevia or a powdered sweetener though.

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These granola bars look amazing! Love all the ingredients in here!

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Thank you Kelly! They were SO tasty!

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Do these stay hard and put together at room temperature? I’ve made homemade granola bars before and had to keep them in the refridgerator or they get a lil gooey and fall apart!

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These do better stored in the refrigerator because they are chewy and moist. If you want them to be harder at room temperature, try doing 3/4 cup peanut butter and 1/3 cup honey instead of the amounts shown in the recipe. 🙂

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I made these the other day, very good! Kids loved them. Although mine did not turn out as pretty as yours 🙂

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I did save a few of the nuts, chocolate chips, and cranberries to press into the top for looks. 😉 So glad your kids loved them!

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I think I will try the greater PB ratio as you suggested above since my seemed to be a bit crumbly for the lunchbox. I also noted that I should have used the best honey for a better flavor. The flavor of the honey really came through and I just used my “cooking” honey! I personally liked them and they were quick to make but I will have to try harder for the kids, I think since they aren’t used to bars yet. Thanks for a good recipe!

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Thanks for your feedback Lisa! I hope you can tweak it to your likings!

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Amber, these look great! My daughter is allegic to nuts though – will it change the whole consistency if i leave out the nuts? I can easily change the peanut butter for sun butter. Thanks!

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I would do like an extra cup of oats OR you can do plain cheerios in place of the nuts (2/3 cup of each nut so 1 1/3 cups of cheerios) to help build the granola bar. You can always lessen the amounts of honey and peanut butter (or sun butter) too, but they won’t be as thick. I hope you can get it to work out! ?

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I would do like an extra cup of oats OR you can do plain cheerios in place of the nuts (2/3 cup of each nut so 1 1/3 cups of cheerios) to help build the granola bar. You can always lessen the amounts of honey and peanut butter (or sun butter) too, but they won’t be as thick. I hope you can get it to work out! 😉

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Just made these and they are awesome!! Left the cashews out (didn’t have any on hand), and left the flaxseed whole which didn’t seem to make any difference. I will definitely be doubling the recipe next time to make more than 12 bars. Can’t wait to add this healthy snack to my boys lunches! Thank you!

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That is so great! Thanks for sharing your adjustments!

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I believe to get the health benefits of flax seed, they need to be ground.

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They taste great but mine are just crumbling apart.
I just took them out of the fridge. They were in there for about 4 hours. How can I save them? Can I freeze and then cut them? A little disappointed. I followed the recipe completely.

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Hi Colleen,
Depending on the kind of peanut butter and honey you use, that can be a problem. Try doing 3/4 cup peanut butter and 1/3 cup honey instead of the amounts shown in the recipe and see if that helps.

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Made these yesterday. Delicious! I did have a problem with them not gluing together very well, but the flavor is so good it didn’t matter.

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I made these the other day, and everyone loves them! Thanks for sharing! I was wondering if there are any calories and nutritional facts available for them?

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I made these last night and had one for breakfast. I mixed ground flaxseed with pistachios to get 1/3 cup. I didn’t have enough cashews so I added a few crunched up peanuts. I am trying to eat healthier and bars like like this make it easier. They turned out great. Thanks for sharing.

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I’m so glad you could adjust them with what you had! Enjoy!

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What if you blended dates instead of honey for “glue” and sweetness. Also was thinking of sprinkling almond flour to make them a little non stick lol excited to try these!

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I don’t think it would hurt to try that! Granola bars can be pretty forgiving as long as they aren’t super moist. Good luck Denise!

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I too have had a problem with them staying together- so now I just roll them up into granola balls and that helps them stay together!
Has anyone ever freezed these before?

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That’s a fun idea! Thanks Angela!

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I’ve made these and they are delicious. However, I definitely would like the nutritional data. Do you have that?

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Hi Dee- we have only analyzed nutrition data for the recipes we include in our member database.. For the rest, you can use http://nutritiondata.self.com/ to analyze any recipe!

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I love having these on hand for snacking, but don’t get to make them as often as I’d like. I was wondering if you (or anyone else) has ever tried freezing them? It would be awesome to be able to pull one out of the freezer when needed. Thanks!

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You should be able to freeze them wrapped tightly with plastic wrap or in a resealable freezer bag. I would say up to 2 months before they start getting freezer burnt.

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The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (10)
I can see always having these on hand. Delicious.

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The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (11)
These are a huge hit in my house. My husband is obsessed with them. We leave out raisins because no one likes them, but the rest is delicious

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I have just made these for my family but with walnuts instead of cashews as my 13 year old is allergic to cashews. They are absolutely delicious, these will be a great breakfast for the early mornings.

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The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (12)

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Hi Ambar
Do you have Any granola bars without nuts – my kids don’t like peanut butter and school is nut free for lunch boxes due to allergies.
Thanks Amanda

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The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (13)
Thought these were really good. It’s on the sweeter side so my boys and I can only have small portions (about half of what a store bought granola would be).

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Im wondering what I can use instead of peanut butter? Im afraid if I leave it out they wont stick. We’re not as fond of peanut butter her in Australia 😉

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I saw above that someone used sunflower butter .

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The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (14)
Bars just crumbled after cutting; most did not stay together at all. Taste was good though. We’ll just have to eat it like granola.

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The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (15)
The flavor was very good but they just completely crumbled even using a granola bar mold. The portion also seemed very large.

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Hi Amber can you make trail mix cookies if the trail mix
Is in the package

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I would try 3 1/2 to 4 cups of trail mix, then add the oats, flax seed, peanut butter, honey and salt. If it’s too wet, add more oats. If it’s too dry add more peanut butter or honey.

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Hi.my query is don’t we need to bake this granola bar as it contain oats.

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Oats can be eaten uncooked. We do it all the time with overnight oats!

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The measurements do not make sense to me. Can you explain them please?

33/55 cups
3/2 cups
33/100 cups

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Hi Bridget, sorry for the confusion! We made some big updates to our site over the weekend and it caused some technical issues with our recipes. Everything should be patched up now. Thanks for your patience!

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Thanks! I just made them. They look great and I can’t wait to try them.

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The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (16)
“ A granola bar you can feel good about” Seriously? There is so much sugar and fat and calories in these bars. It’s ridiculous. Over 400 calories in one bar

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Hi Bel, thanks for your feedback. Nuts, seeds, and whole grain oats are certainly not low-fat or low-calorie foods, and we’re OK with that. We believe kids need healthy fats and energy-dense foods to best grow and thrive, and we don’t recommend monitoring calories in most cases. These bars are a treat, for sure, but they’re still a treat we feel good about. 🙂

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How many calories for one piece

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Hi there, it looks like 449 calories per slice.

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I’m going to bookmark your blog, I think you have a lot of great blog content.

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The MUST have granola bar recipe for all your summer adventures. (2024)

FAQs

Can you have granola on 21 day fix? ›

Are granola bars or protein bars allowed on the 21 Day Fix Plan? Why, yes they are! Many granola and protein bars are highly processed and have a lot of added sugar, but there are a few that fit the bill. Kind Bars and Aloha bars are both great.

How do you increase the shelf life of granola bars? ›

To keep your granola bars fresh, you must allow the least amount of air possible to reach the bars. Because air (and warmth) can easily cause spoilage, sealing your granola bars in an airtight container or wrapping them in wax paper is a great way to keep them fresh for longer.

What ingredient makes granola stick together? ›

Clumpy Granola Method: Add Whole Wheat and Almond Flour

First, it adds a combo of whole wheat flour and almond flour (or almond meal), which act as a binder to hold the oat mixture together. Second is the bakeware. This recipe opts for a 9×13-inch baking pan instead of the standard rimmed sheet pan.

What is the best binding agent for granola bars? ›

Honey: Since it's a granola bar, refined sugar is not used in the recipe as it's meant to be healthy. So to provide appropriate sweetness, honey is used. Also, honey acts as the primary binding agent.

Is it cheaper to make your own granola bars? ›

They save well (wrap and freeze them for up to two months), are more affordable than store-bought bars, and don't contain the long list of unpronounceable ingredients. Plus, your kitchen will smell like a bakery while these granola bars bake. Ahhhh.

Do granola bars count as junk food? ›

Often touted for their whole grain goodness, most granola bars are sticky-sweet junk food in disguise. Don't let a few oats fool you — especially when you also see marshmallows and chocolate chips. Instead: If granola bars are a must-have, choose one with 6 grams of sugar or less per bar, and hopefully some fibre.

Can I eat ramen noodles on 21 day fix? ›

This quick and easy Chicken Ramen Noodle Stir Fry is one of my favorite weeknight meals! By using Brown Rice Ramen Noodles and a homemade Kung Pao sauce, this dinner is gluten free, dairy free, 21 Day Fix and Weight Watchers approved!

Can too much granola be bad? ›

Granola contains dried fruit, which is high in sugar, and high-fat tree nuts like almonds or walnuts. If too much is eaten, you could develop health problems or take in too many calories. Read the label before you buy and check the overall calories, total sugar, and fat content.

Why do my homemade granola bars fall apart? ›

Homemade granola bars are best when stored in the fridge or cooler areas of your kitchen (like a dark pantry). I keep mine in the fridge. Remember that the sticky glue holding these together is made with butter, which has a low melting point. So once these bars warm up, they fall apart more easily.

Can you eat old granola bars? ›

Surprisingly, long-expired food is still considered — by the regulators, at least — good enough to eat. That outdated granola bar packed with soft oats or that chocolate bar now displaying a whitish bloom may not taste very good, but they can still be consumed without making you sick.

Can I freeze granola? ›

Can I freeze granola? Yes. By freezing your granola in a dry, air-tight container, you can extend the freshness. However, we do not recommend keeping granola frozen more than two months.

How do I get my homemade granola bars to stick together? ›

While there are several different sticky ingredients that you can use, we've found that the binding agent that works the best is honey! When added to your homemade granola bars, honey acts as glue that sticks all the pieces together.

Why is my homemade granola not crunchy? ›

I aim to let it hit room temperature, whatever that may be; the real point is to give it ample time to shed excess heat and steam. This should take about 45 minutes; if left out indefinitely, the granola can turn sticky or soft, so do try to put it away as soon after cooling as you can.

How do granola bars stay together? ›

While the oats and nuts bake, you can make the sticky glue that holds our bars together. You'll melt butter, honey, and brown sugar in a saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Mix this sticky mixture with the toasted oats and nuts. Allow everything to cool, and then toss in dried fruit and chocolate chips.

What is a good binder for protein bars? ›

A few other common ingredients are whole nuts and seeds, grains like oats and crispy cereal (which offer fiber and a granola bar–like texture), cocoa powder or chocolate chips, and liquid sweeteners like maple syrup or honey, which help your bars stick together and taste delicious.

How do you fix granola bars that fall apart? ›

If your granola bars are falling apart or seem too crumbly, here are a few tips. Make sure you use honey or another sticky sweetener such as maple syrup in the liquid part of the recipe; this recipe calls for honey. This will help bind together the ingredients and keep that signature bar shape.

What keeps granola together? ›

Make sure that whichever granola recipe you use, it calls for some liquid, typically oil of some kind (I recommend olive oil for a subtle earthy, floral flavor, or melted unrefined coconut oil for subtly coconutty flavor). The liquid will help the chia seeds to gel, ensuring the granola sticks together.

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