I’m excited to share this recipe for Healthy Chewy Apple Cinnamon Granola Bars with you all today! I know a lot of you might be using the New Year as a restart when it comes to resolving to eat healthier, and I’m sorry if I tend to lead you astray from time to time. Just know that when you need a treat, I’ll be here waiting for you with open arms. In the meantime, here’s something I think everyone will enjoy without any guilt!
This recipe is inspired by Beard and Bonnet’s Rise and Shine Energy Bars. My good friend, Annie, who has two adorable little boys, shared the recipe with me. She said she likes to give her boys healthy bars for breakfasts or snacks, and was so happy to find a homemade one that they loved. We eat a lot of granola bars at our house too, so I wanted to give them a try. I was really surprised at how good they turned out. So light and chewy, and very easy to make too! They have the same texture as our favorite store bought granola bars, without any weird ingredients. Technically this recipe is “no bake” but you do need to toast the oats, pecans, and flax seeds to enhance their flavor.
I added less sugar than the original recipe, and also subbed butter for coconut oil. I also added pecans and dried apples. You could really add any little bits of goodness you like, as long as you keep the wet and dry ingredient proportions as written.
So convenient to wrap up the bars individually so they are ready to grab for quick snacks on the go. Hope you get a chance to make these, and maybe change up some of the ingredients to fit your own taste! My next batch is going to be a chocolate chip version I know my boys will be really excited about.
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Healthy Chewy Apple Cinnamon Granola Bars
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Description
These granola bars have the same texture as our favorite store-bought bars, but without any weird ingredients or preservatives. Perfect on-the-go snack!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
- 1/4 cup flax seeds
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal
- 1/2 cup dried apples, diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 by 9 inch baking dish by spraying it with nonstick spray and lining it with parchment paper, leaving excess hanging over the sides for easy removal later.
- Spread oats, nuts, and flax seeds out in an even layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 5-8 minutes, watching closely for the oats to just start to brown and become fragrant.
- In a small sauce pan, bring honey, coconut oil, and brown sugar to a simmer over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar for 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat, add vanilla extract, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine puffed rice cereal, dried apples, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the oat mixture, and pour in the honey mixture. Stir until everything is well coated.
- Press into your prepared 9 by 9 inch square baking dish. Use another piece of parchment paper on top to pack it down and press it into the corners.
- Place them in the refrigerator to chill for an hour before removing from the baking dish to cut into bars. Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Bar
- Calories: 243
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 125mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 3.2g
- Protein: 3.1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Derek says
I have no idea how much is in a cup. I googled cup to grams and quantities were way off. Any way of showing ingredients in oz or g?
Allison M Balfour says
What can i use instead of sugar?
Grunkles says
Salt.
MacKenzie Barker says
These are fire.
Sophia says
Cups to grams conversions depending on the item. I cup of sugar weighs more than one cup of oatmeal.
Alternatives of sugar will change the method entirely, so continue searching for a recipe that uses a different sweetener.
Penelope Terry says
My bars are too crumbly and won’t hold together. How can I fix this please?