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!
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #lovelylittlekitchen
Can't get enough?
Subscribe and I'll send all my recipes right to your inbox! You can also keep up to date by following me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter
.- 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
- 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.
How long will these keep fresh?
We kept them individually wrapped for one week.
Try using corn syrup instead of honey and let me know if it is a better take
Or even half honey half corn syrup
Except that a benefit of making these is to avoid unhealthy ingredients like corn syrup… I’m more interested in replacing the brown sugar with something unprocessed and natural.
try turbinado sugar or coconut sugar
I used coconut sugar
Can you tell me the nutrients that are in these?
Sorry, but I do not list out the nutrition information for recipes on Lovely Little Kitchen.
You should! Not making these because they have more sugar than the store bought kind. Just because you make them w/o HFCS, doesn’t mean they are better for you. I would suggest figuring out the nutritional value.
The sugar content may not always be less than store bought, but I find homemade food has no numbers, no chemicals . It means that we know exactly what our children are eating 😀. This alone makes home cooking much more healthy than store bought. Plus we can control the amount of sugar, salt etc that goes into each recipe 😊
I agree, thanks for your comment!
Chill out! If you don’t want to make them , then don’t 🙄
I agree Anonymous. Plus, you can easily copy and paste the ingredients at the calorie count website for full nutritional information. It takes a minute or so. I use it often. https://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
I love this Julie! Do you think if I omitted brown sugar completely and maybe added bit more honey it would be okay?
I haven’t tried that, but I think it could work. Let me know if you try!
I want to try these for my kids (and me :)) …. I think they just might really like!
These look seriously so amazing and I totally love that you used coconut oil here! 🙂
Thank you Medha!
Do you think it would make a positive flavor enhancement if instead of chocolate chips I subbed peanut butter chips?
Peanut butter and honey are awesome together! Yes, do the peanut butter chips! Let me know how you like them.
I have everything but coconut oil. What should I use as a replacement.
I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m thinking melted butter would be a good sub. Let me know how you like them if you try it!
I used melted butter and they are great.
Made these with my kids today. Super easy and fun for little hands to make. Best part, they’re delicious!
That’s great! Love hearing about kids in the kitchen. Glad you liked them!
Hi Julie, love the idea of these granola bars! Do you think they would turn out well if I lessened the honey to 1/4 cup? Thanks!
The only thing that I would worry about with reducing the amount of honey is that they might not hold together as well. Let me know if you give it a try!
Julie,
Thank you for a recipe that actually works! I had a similar recipe a while back, but haven’t been able to locate it for the life of me…now I don’t have to! I did make a couple minor adjustments to my batch (because I’m a turkey like that). I decreased the honey to 1/4 cup, added maybe a 1/4 cup of flax seeds, and baked at 350° for about 10 minutes – just because – before popping them in the fridge. They held! Hallelujah, they held! My kids will be as thrilled as I am that granola bars are back at our house. Thanks again!
Sarah, I’m so glad they held for you. I have tried a bunch of different recipes, and yes, sometimes they are granola bars and sometimes more like granola!
did they cut ok afte coming out of the fridge?
Just made these and they’re so tasty! I added some dried cranberries and it makes for a nice sweet/sour combo. The 1/3 cup of honey is a must! I was just a little short and the bars are slightly crumbly.
Glad you liked them Trisha! Good to know about the honey.
I just made these last night to have as a bedtime snack for my 4 year old. They turned out great and he loved it – I don’t think he even realized that it wasn’t the same as the store bought ones I had been giving him!
The only change I made was to use 3 TBSP of Coconut Oil and I added 2 overflowing TBSP of natural Peanut Butter. It gives it just a hint of peanut butter flavor and worked out perfect! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Love the addition of the PB. Thanks for the feedback Kat!
Hi Julie I can’t wait to try these. When i make these, am I able to freeze the bars for later use? I might not finish 12 in one week.
Thanks!
I haven’t tried freezing, but I don’t see why you couldn’t. Hope you enjoy!
These didn’t turn out chewy at all for me. I followed the recipe exactly. Maybe if I cooked the mixture closer to 1 minute vs 2 it would be a little chewier. I also thought an 8 x8 pan was a little small, mine were really thick.
I’m glad I’m not the only one. I’m not sure what I did wrong. They turned out brittle and just kind of fell apart when I went to cut them into bars. The crumbs tasted really yummy, though! I’m going to try again and let you know if I figure out where I went wrong. 🙂
OMG, these are sooooo good! Thank you!
My son has a nut allergy and he’s always asking me for the Quaker granola bars but they may contain traces of nuts. I just made these, I added sunflower seeds and they are so delicious and he is so happy!
Thank you!
Yay, that totally makes my day! I’m so glad they worked out for you.
My son also has nut allergies so what did you use to substitute the coconut oil?
Hi Krystie – You could use a canola or vegetable oil in its place.
Coconut oil was fine for your son with the nut allergy right ?
my son is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts (almonds and cashews, never tried the others), and he does fine with coconut. it’s actually the only kind of milk he can drink. hope that helps
Great recipe, thanks! Wondering if you think half honey, half molasses might work? I made them today, and they turned out great, but I think I’d like them better with less honey flavor 🙂
Definitely worth a try, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work out just fine. Let me know what you think!
Hi Julie,
This recipe looks awesome! I can’t wait to try it. Would you mind sending me the apple cinnamon version as well? That one sounds fab! Happy Holidays!
~Kelley
Hi Kelley, Just click on this link for the apple cinnamon recipe:
http://lovelylittlekitchen.com/healthy-chewy-apple-cinnamon-granola-bars/
Enjoy!
I made these today and they are delicious! Didn’t think the kids would go for them since they can’t unwrap them. When my little one saw the chocolate she dove in, eating them as I type! I didn’t have coconut oil so I used butter instead. The flavor is great, but they are crumbling. Could it have been the butter? I also spread the mix out on half a cookie sheet so that they wouldn’t be as thick using an 8×8. Will definitely dry them again.
I made these bars but instead of using chocolate chips, I used peanut butter chips and once they hardened I coaovered the top in melted chocolate. Turned out great!
Covered*
Oh yum, I love chocolate covered granola bars!
Ha! These didn’t make it to bar form, but they were delicious! I think I will omit the salt next time, though!
Glad you liked them Holly!
Nice! I will make this for my daughter and see how it goes. There is one thing I didnt understand, you said pre heat the oven but you never really baked them… ???
Saludos!
Hello Mai, the reason you need to preheat the oven is just to toast the oats before you mix them in. It really bring out the flavor. Hope you enjoy!
I just made a bach and their are delicious and so chewy! Congratulations for an amazing recipe! The only thing a change, instead of chocolate chips I used cranberries. I think its going to be a great snack for my daughter to bring to school.
Gracias y saludos desde Chile!
That’s great Mai!
Oh my GOODNESS! These are fantastic! Thank you so much for posting this! With 3 very active kids, having snacks on hand (consistently) is tough. The skier eats like a moose, and these are perfect for her to tuck into her bag and take to the hill. For her, I made them with the mini-chips and some of those goofy, hard colored marshmellows. Also made a plain batch – no chips-for my son. He LOVED them. So glad they contain honey versus corn syrup. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
What caught my eye were the words copycat Quaker. I thought I would give this one a try. Mine were crunchy and crumbly…so for those of you who had crunchy granola bars, I think the mistake was letting the sugar mixture boil too long to a hard crack stage. Just like caramel/candy if you boil too long it’s going to be hard…my fault. However…I thought these tasted so bad. The coconut oil does not go well with this recipe. I let my 8 year old (who will try anything) and my 12 year old taste them and they disliked them very much. I threw the whole batch in the trash…They were not tasty at all…just being honest.
These turned out great for me! And my daughter does the same thing with the chocolate chips, so I melt some and drizzle it on top. That seems to help! I add in dried fruit and or peanut butter and we love this recipe. I think it tastes better than store bought and it doesn’t have all the additives and high fructose corn syrup! Plus i can make it gluten free. Thanks!!
Thanks Mandie. I like the idea of drizzling the chocolate?
I just want to confirm that these are no bake. The 350 oven is only for toasting the oatmeal.
Emily, yes that is correct.
I just made these but I used peanut butter instead of coconut oil and I put in a 1/2 cup of flax seed and took out a 1/2 puff cereal! My kids love them!
Good idea Brenda! Glad the kiddos enjoyed them.
So tasty….and so addictive…. I’ve started putting them in a 9×13 pan so they aren’t as thick–and a pan lasts us longer than an hour. I didn’t have coconut oil, and substituting butter worked great. I’ve also done it subbing out 2 tbs of butter for 2 tbs of peanut butter and now I’m even fatter than before (lol). I’ve got a batch in the fridge now using a coco rice crispy and coconut as an add-in….we shall see.
I’m wondering if there is a way to decrease the sweetness a bit; the honey taste is strong, and my husband complains. I already brought it down to a 1/4 cup but am afraid to go further as they get a bit more crumbly then. Any ideas? They are already PLENTY sweet, so I don’t think doing more brown sugar is the answer….I love the commenter who mentioned the “hard crack” stage of the sugar, too-that really helped me!
Have you considered using Karo corn syrup? It’s not the same as HFCS. Check out this http://www.thekitchn.com/corn-syrup-vs-highfructose-corn-syrup-there-is-a-difference-196819 (some of the comments are helpful, too)!
I will go check it out, thanks for sharing.
Best homemade granola bars I have had yet! I used GF rolled oats and reduced the brown sugar by half. I also used less honey, but added a little organic maple syrup. (I’m not supposed to have honey) I also added pretzels 😉 but really great recipe!! I’ve been searching for one without peanut butter! New fave snack! Thanks!!
Do you mean Rice Krispies or actually Puffed Rice cereal? They are different
I believe I used the actual Rice Krispie cereal, thinking puffed rice cereal was just a generic way to say it. Good to know there is a difference, thank you!
Hi Julie,
I really like your copy cat recipe for these granola bars. So easy to make with pretty standard ingredients, it is easier to make these granola bars then driving to the store! 😉
I have a granola bar recipe that I really like to make. It uses sweet potato and ground flax seed.
http://doubletherecipe.com/2016/04/26/homemade-granola-bars/
Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Thanks Valerie, I’ll have to try yours!
Can you sub marshmallows instead of the honey?
Hi Meesh, yes I think you could, but I’m not sure how much? Let me know if you try it!
I just made these. These are amazing ! I didn’t have enough honey so they didn’t stick together but I figured I can use them in like a trail mix kind of thing and once I get the right amount of honey, maybe they’ll stick. These are so quick to make. Thank you.
These turned out great, Julie. Thank you for sharing the recipe. And I agree, even though the homemade version may have the same (or a little more) total sugar, it’s nice to know it’s all wholesome ingredients. Plus for home cooks like us, there is a joy in making something from scratch. Not so much joy in buying a box of granola bars from BJ’s, is there?
Thanks again. Everyone in my house loves them. And the photography on your site is beautiful. Nice work =)
We are very much on the same page Sara, thanks for you comment and I’m glad they worked for you. Thank you for your kind words!
I used Agave the 2nd time I made them as my kids weren’t fond of the honey taste. Trying them a 3rd time with a bit of honey to help keep them together more. Both times so far they still scarfed them down.
Good to know, thanks Wendy!
I was so excited to make these, but something went wrong in the process! My family doesn’t like honey so I tried adding extra brown sugar. It melted fine, but wouldn’t incorporate with the melted coconut oil, even after a LOT of whisking! Eventually I caved and added a little honey, and it didn’t help. I added the “mixture” to the dry ingredients anyway, and ended up with an oily, clumpy mess. Help! What went wrong?
I think the honey helps with the binding in this case so adding the brown sugar won’t work. Sorry your version didn’t work out as you had hoped.
my 2 years old won’t eat anything for breakfast but granola bar. he loves being in the kitchen with me so yesterday i made this recipe. I put mapple sirup instead of honey and no brown sugar my baby loved it.
That’s great Laurie, thanks!
I’ve made these probably ten times now…lost my recipe so just came back to reprint it so I can make them again. Love these-we replace the chocolate chips with mini m&ms!
Thanks Anna, love the M&M idea!
just made these! i also added some peanut butter chips and they are so good!
Wonderful, thanks Kristin!
love this recipe so much!! my son has a lot of food allergies, so this is a life-saver. i made some just now with no chocolate chips, but added freeze-dried strawberries and raspberries for a festive valentine’s snack 🙂
I just finished making these! They are delicious! I will never buy store bought granola bars again. The only thing I changed…instead of using all honey, I used half honey and half pure maple syrup. Also, I put mine in a mold to make smaller bite size. Thank you for the recipe.
Tried these and followed it exactly but they did not stick. Broke apart completely 😒
I made these today and they are delicious!! My whole family loved them! I added about 2 tablespoons of ground flax. My daughter has many food allergies and was very excited to try them. Thanks so much for the recipe! Perfect!!
So glad they worked out for you. Good idea with the flax!
Made these today and they were so good had to make another batch. My husband and grandsons love them..this is a keeper. Turned out perfect.
Thanks so much Lydia! Glad they worked well for you all!
can i substitute the rice krispies with something else?
You could probably use any small cereal that you prefer. The rice krispies help keep the bar from being too dense, so I would choose something similar if you can.
I made these tonight for my daughter to take to eat on the way to school. You know a grab and go breakfast. They came out very delicious. I will make these again with one change. I will cut back a little on the salt to maybe 1/3 of a tsp. I did make one change tonight though and that was to split the 1/3 cup of honey in half with one half honey and the half with light corn syrup. They stayed together and had a nice chew to them. I am definitely making these very often and will come up with some new additions like dried apples and raisins with a sprinkling of cinnamon. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
My son is autistic and we needed something to encourage him to do homework and school work. So we keep a bunch at school for the incentive and they work! He loves them just as the recipe calls for.
The only thing is that the bars fall apart if kept out of the refrigerator even if I have them wrapped up. I would like to find something that keeps them together when out of the refrigerator (different ingredient?). Either way, he loves them and thank you for sharing.