Homemade Granola Bars (52 New Foods, Week 34) August 31 2012, 10 Comments

Homemade granola bars are an easy and tasty lunchbox treat. This nut free granola bar recipe is made with lots of love and no refined sugar, because your little ones are sweet enough as they are!

Do the math. How much do you spend on the packaged organic granola bars that regularly appear in your kids’ lunchboxes? Conservatively, it’s about $100 per child per year. Then stop and look at the ingredients list. It’s less healthy than you think. “Convenience!” you reply, and I completely understand. As a busy parent, I need a grab and go solution some mornings too. But when I discovered this simple recipe for homemade granola bars I was surprised at how easy, tasty and simple it is to make your own granola bars at home for a fraction of the cost.

Homemade Granola Bars

This nut free, homemade granola bar recipe is fun and easy for kids to make. Although it’s a sweet treat, it is free of refined sugars. It can easily be modified to feature your favorite fixings. My kids added dried cranberries. Raisins or dates could easily be used as well. Have fun mixing it up!

Ingredients:
4 cups oats
¼ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 cup dried cranberries (or any other dried fruit)
½ tsp kosher salt
½ cup grapeseed oil
½ cup honey

*Cooking tip: Add the oil, then the honey, using the same measuring cup. The oil will make it easy for the honey to slip right off into the mixing bowl.

Directions:

1.     Preheat the oven to 325 F.

2.     In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, coconut, and salt.

3.     Add the oil, then the honey to the dry mixture. Stir to combine.

4.     Add the cranberries and mix well.

5.     Grease a baking sheet (or add parchment) and press the granola mixture into the pan.

6.     Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

7.     Cool, then cut into bars.

Crunch a Color Kids Vote: Grab and go!

What we Liked: These homemade granola bars are crunchy and crumbly. When you’re done cutting them, the baking sheet will be filled with tasty chunks of yummy granola. Perfect for sprinkling over yogurt parfaits!

* Do you have a favorite recipe for making homemade granola bars?
* What ingredients do you like to add to your mix?

Craving more new recipes to try? Catch up on last week’s recipe: Easy Spanish rice.

About the author: Jennifer Tyler Lee is a mom of two children and the creator of Crunch a Color -- the award-winning nutrition games that make healthy eating fun. Like most parents, she struggled to get her kids to eat healthy, balanced meals, so she decided to make it into a healthy eating game. Winner of the Dr. Toy and Parent Tested, Parent Approved awards, Crunch a Color has been featured by Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, Laurie David’s Family Dinner, Kiwi Magazine, Dr. Greene, and Yum Food & Fun For Kids, among many others, as a simple, fun and playful way to get kids to eat healthy and try new foods! Jennifer’s passion is making mealtime fun, easy and healthy for busy families. Her easy recipes, quick tips, and new food adventures are regularly featured at Pottery Barn Kids, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, The Huffington Post, and on her weekly recipe blog at crunchacolor.com.