Healthy Granola Bars – With the shops going granola bar crazy, it is becoming increasingly hard to know which granola bars are actually healthy. Many contain a lot of added sugar and preservatives. By making your own, you know 100% what is in your bars. Therefore, you can be sure all of the ingredients are wholesome and will contain a good nutritional value. This no-bake (apart from toasting the oats) are low in sugar, stuffed with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. They’re great for a snack or perfect for breakfast on the go.
Time: 25 Minutes Servings: 12 Calories: 185
Ingredients
- 3 cups of Oats
- 2 tbsp Oil (grapeseed, rapeseed, vegetable, coconut, any will work)
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 ½ cup add-ins (dried cranberries, raisins, nuts, sunflower seeds, chocolate chips, coconut, anything you fancy!
- 150g Dark Chocolate
Method
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celcius and lay the oats on a baking tray. Place them into the oven, mixing halfway through for about 15 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when they look slightly golden and can smell toasted oats.
- Line a 9×9 pan with paper or foil, grease with butter or cooking spray. Next, heat the oil in a small saucepan on the stove, add the brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer, keep stirring to ensure the brown sugar dissolves, then turn off the heat.
- Next, place the oats into a large bowl and pour over the hot liquid, mix to sure the oats are coated evenly. Mix in your add-ins and scrape the mixture into your prepared tin.
- Take another piece of foil and fold over the top of the granola tin, press firmly into the corners to flatten. Keep pressing to ensure the granola is smooth and spread evenly across the pan.
- Allow the granola to cool for an hour and then place into the fridge overnight to allow them to set. The following day, melt the chocolate in a small pan over a low heat and use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate over granola. Allow to set and place on a cutting board, peel away any foil, cut into bars and enjoy!
These bars will remain fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months, and defrost overnight before eating. This recipe is great as you can change the add-ins depending on your cravings. Have you tried making our homemade granola? Click here for the recipe.
