When I made these Healthy Chewy Apple Cinnamon Granola Bars a few weeks ago, I really loved them but I have to admit, my boys wondered where the chocolate chips were. To them, a granola bar has chocolate chips, so why in the world would I leave those out? Little Boy #3 is notorious for asking for a granola bar, picking out all the chocolate chips and then walking away and leaving a mess of granola crumbs that got in his way. Boo to that says this mama!
So I kind of took it as a challenge to see if I could tweak that recipe a bit to make a granola bar that tasted like the store bought version they are used to. It’s kind of nice to be able to make them with a bit of honey instead of corn syrup, and add in some healthy fat from coconut oil, right? So these are what I came up with, and I must say they are pretty darn close. The texture is right on, and the flavor is very close. The only difference is the slight flavor of honey.
These are a snap to make, and it was great to be able to wrap them up individually in plastic wrap and throw them in the snack bin so the little guys could just help themselves for breakfast or snacks. Only one rule – No picking out the chocolate chips!
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Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars {Copycat Quaker}
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars taste just like the store-bought version kids love, but made with coconut oil and sweetened with honey!
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8 by 8 inch baking dish by lining it with parchment paper and spraying with nonstick spray. This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan to cut them later.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt coconut oil, brown sugar, and honey together. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring it to a gentle simmer and let it bubble away for a 1-2 minutes. Add vanilla extract. Then remove it from the heat to cool slightly.
- Spread out the old fashioned oats onto a baking sheet, and toast them in the oven for 3-5 minutes. Watch closely for the oats to turn golden brown and then take them out right away. This step will just enhance the flavor.
- In a large bowl, combine the toasted oats with the puffed rice cereal and salt. Pour the slightly cooled honey mixture over the oat mixture, and stir to coat.
- If the granola mixture is not longer hot to the touch, stir in the chocolate chips. Press the mixture into the pan firmly using another piece of parchment paper so they won’t stick to your hands. Chill for an hour in the fridge to make crisp lines when you cut them, and then wrap up with plastic wrap and store at room temp.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Bar
- Calories: 170
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 115mg
- Fat: 6.5g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 1.6g
- Protein: 2.3g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Reginne says
Tried this recipe today and let me say it is awesome! The taste and texture are similar to the Quaker bars. I swapped the 4 Tbsp of coconut oil for the same amount of butter as I don’t usally keep coconut oil handy. I read in the comments that it crumbles after being taken out of the fridge so I followed someone’s suggestion and added a cup of mini marshmallow in the saucepan after the sugar melted. All in all, easy and cheaper to make than buying the actual bars in the stores.
Erin says
I tried your recommendation with the marshmallows and my kids devour these bars. Thanks for the suggestion
Maayan says
I’ve made this so many times and my family and friends can’t believe it’s homemade. I made a few changes and cheats. First of all, I use instant oats; because instant oats need more moisture, I add an extra tablespoon of honey and reduce a tablespoon of sugar. I don’t make the mixture on the stove but in the microwave – mix the honey, sugar and oil for 1-1.5 minutes, add in the salt and vanilla extract and mix. I use 60% chocolate and I don’t wait for anything to cool. I also don’t use rice crispies because they don’t sell them here. I found sugar and salt free puffed rice.
Cindy G says
Would this work if I used maple syrup instead of sugar?
Stacey says
A little late to the game but these are awesome!
I microwaved the wet ingredients too. After an hour in the fridge the bars are very delicate but BE PATIENT and wait overnight, MAGIC.
We will be making these again very soon!
Stacy says
I made these and the taste was as amazing the only thing i was wondering was they fall apart even after letting them set. Was be cause i used butter instead of coconut oil? If so ill try it with the coconut oil. The recipe is great love the taste. Just need them to not fall apart and turn into granola crumbs.
Sheri says
You probably didn’t cook your sugar long enough. It needs to thicken a little so it will set. I cooked mine to soft ball stage (approximately, as I didn’t use a thermometer). You can test your sugar solution in cold water…drop a 1/2 tsp…if it holds together like soft toffee you’re good to go.
Katie says
Overwhelmingly honey flavored. Not copy cat to Quaker, but still tasty.
I followed the recipe except I used butter instead of coconut oil (allergies). The consistency for me was okay and they don’t fall apart too easily after refrigeration.
I will say that the suggestion of an 8×8 pan was incredibly too small, and my bars ended up being 1.5 inches thick, which is really big!
If you want these to taste more like Quaker and less like honey, I suggest using corn syrup to replace the 1/3 of honey.
Emily says
These are delicious! My kids LOVE the chocolate covered Quaker chewy bars, so I made these and instead of adding chocolate chips in, I melted chocolate and drizzled it over the top of the bars once they were cooled and cut. A hit with both my kids (who always notice when I try to make healthier versions of things)! I also subbed two tbsp’s of coconut oil with 2 tbsp’s of butter. So yum! Thank you!!
Carrie says
What temperature should the sugar syrup mixture reach on a candy thermometer? I’m too used to candy recipes lol
Carrie, from the future! says
225°F is too hot. They came out very hard, despite it being 10° under ‘soft ball’ stage
Taylor says
Made these yesterday and added 1/3 cup peanut butter for extra stability, 1/4 flax seed and they are delicious!! I’m wondering if you could tell me the shelf life of these?? I made them to go on our trip Friday but am now realizing they might not be fresh still then. Thoughts? Could I freeze them a few days and then take them? Thank you!!
Margaret Blackburn says
Made these today. The taste is delicious, but when I went to cut them they shattered into pieces.
Laurene says
Does the old fashioned oats brand make a difference? I’ve made these a few times using Quaker Oats and they came out perfectly delicious.It seems that the Walmart brand old fashioned oats don’t stay together and are crumbly. Seems like it needs more moisture to hold it all together…or … am I doing something wrong??
Katie says
These are a favorite around here- kids, coaches, farmers and cowboys all love them! They’re my go-to for all events, and turn out great. They double (quadruple!) well and freeze perfectly. Also an easy one to teach my kids to make!
Thank you!
Debbie says
Made this recipe on the weekend and they were a hit! I didn’t have any chocolate chips so I melted some pink chocolate melt buttons and painted on top of the cold finished bars. Amazing! My little granddaughter kept asking for more “chocolate bars”. I’m making them again with mini chocolate chips.