Here are two kinds of recipes for granola bars: one made with honey, vanilla, and lots of good, crunchy stuff. The other, also with good crunchy stuff, orange juice and spices. I get great results with both recipes, and a slight modification in either recipe results in crunchy, granola cereal.
The first recipe, is my original recipe for granola bars. The second is inspired by a recipe in One Bite at a Time
If you prefer making granola cereal instead of bars, pack down the granola very lightly when preparing it to go in the oven. Bake the granola until it starts to turn brown (without burning it). The longer you bake it, the crunchier it will turn out. I have also taken it out too early, or it baked unevenly (thanks to my spiffy oven), in which case you can put it back in the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes to achieve the desired results.
You can adjust the kinds of things you add to the recipe, even leaving out the nuts if you feel inclined. The concept remains the same, which is to add together stuff you like, chopped up and held together with sweetness and some heat.
Update to this recipe I’ve found that boiling the honey and butter for about 10 minutes, or until it gets very dark, holds it all together very well, especially if you want granola bars.
Granola Bar (with honey and vanilla)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of honey (add more if you want it a bit chewier and sweeter)
- 4 tablespoons of butter (or coconut oil), melted
- 1/2 cup of peanuts
- 1/2 cup of walnuts
- 1/2 cup of pecans
- 1/2 cup of almonds
- 1/2 cup of shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- 2 tablespoons of vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt (or a bit more if the nuts have not been salted)
- 1/4 cup of oats (optional, but not for SCDers)
- 1/2 cup of dried fruit (I use raisins and cranberries)
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine all wet ingredients in a large bowl.
- Crush the nuts until most of them are in small pieces. I use a food processor and pulse the nuts a few times. You can also place the nuts in a bag or towel and crush them with a mallet, pan or other heavy object.
- Add the dry ingredients, and blend everything together, evenly.
- Line a cookie sheet, or large pan with parchment paper and place the granola mixture in the pan or on the sheet. Spread the mixture out evenly and then flatten it down with your hand (place a plastic bag over your hand to prevent it from getting sticky). The goal is to reduce as many air pockets as possible so the ingredients are tightly packed together. If you are making granola pieces (and not bars) then you don’t want to pack it very tightly.
- Place the pan or sheet in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until it starts to turn brown. The darker it gets, the crunchier it will be.
- Cool the granola for about an hour before cutting. Store in a sealed container.
Granola Bar (with orange juice, honey, and spices)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup of honey or maple syrup (add more if you want it a bit chewier and sweeter)
- 1/4 cup of orange juice
- 4 tablespoons of butter (or coconut oil), melted
- 1/2 cup of peanuts
- 1/2 cup of walnuts
- 1/2 cup of pecans
- 1/2 cup of almonds
- 1/2 cup of shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt (or a bit more if the nuts have not been salted)
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1/4 cup of oats (optional – not for SCDers though)
- 1/2 cup of dried fruit (I use raisins and cranberries)
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine all wet ingredients in a large bowl.
- Crush the nuts until most of them are in small pieces. I use a food
processor and pulse the nuts a few times. You can also place the nuts
in a bag or towel and crush them with a mallet, pan or other heavy
object. - Add the dry ingredients, and blend everything together, evenly.
- Line
a cookie sheet, or large pan with parchment paper and place the granola
mixture in the pan or on the sheet. Spread the mixture out evenly and
then flatten it down with your hand (place a plastic bag over your hand
to prevent it from getting sticky). The goal is to reduce as many air
pockets as possible so the ingredients are tightly packed together. If
you are making granola pieces (and not bars) then you don’t want to
pack it very tightly. - Place the pan or sheet in the oven and bake
for about 30 minutes, or until it starts to turn brown. The darker it
gets, the crunchier it will be. - Cool the granola for about an hour before cutting. Store in a sealed container.
You might also like...
 |
These granola bars look fantastic. I’ve been looking for a granola bar that was packed full of goodies, but held together well. This looks like the one to try! Thanks!
I made the honey, orange juice and spices bar and followed the ingredients to the exact measurement but they didnt hold up at all. I flattened them out and baked them for the time called for. Do you have any ideas of how i could make them into bars as i would like to have another go at these.
Yes, occasionally I have the same issue – they are a little loose – more like granola. If you still have them, you can try baking them at a very low heat (around 200 degrees F) for another 15 minutes or more.
The other adjustment that can help is to use slightly less butter and honey (or syrup). I’m going to make these again over the next week, so I’ll see if I still have this issue. I haven’t made these since Winter ’09.
Just a quick update. I used less butter (about half) and increased the amount of honey, AND I added two tablespoons of almond butter. This helped to keep everything together, as well as baking it longer at a slightly lower temperature to avoid burning. I’ll try to post another recipe that adjusts to these measurements. Thanks!
I’m doing LC and the honey and orange juice ingredients are totally out for me.
Any idea on how to de-carb this recipe? It looks sooooooooo good!
Thanks……..Linda
Linda, it sounds like you’re going no-sugar as well. Maybe some of the the sweetening alternatives, like Stevia? You don’t need orange juice though.
Granola Bar made with honey and vanilla they came out amazing!!!
thanks
Good to hear! Thanks Kat.
Hello! I just made my own ghee! Can I use it instead of the butter? Thanks!
yes!
This is my new morning staple. I make the first recipe (no oats) and I break it up in a bowl and pour some vanilla almond milk on top. so good!
Can I use agave instead of honey?
Yes, I think it will work the same, although I haven’t tried it.