Fabulous Chewy Granola Bars!

OK, OK, you caught me.  Yes that was me buying Fiber One Chewy Granola bars by the case!  

The best chewy granola bars ever!

I have been trying to find an alternative to Fiber One Granola bars for a long time now.  I hate buying them because of the ingredients and the waste of individual servings.  But they are so darn convenient!  I have tried other homemade granola bars, none of them passed my kids' taste test - at least not for long.

Until these!  I combined several recipes I found across the web and did some tweaking myself.  I am happy to say I have been making these at least once a week for the past 2 months - they go so quickly and my kids don't ask for the others anymore.  The hard part is keeping enough  around.

Seriously, it's difficult at times to get my kids to eat healthy, so if they like them, that is saying something.

There are 2 versions of this recipe.

Method #1 - Thanks to Betsy from Eco-Novice's recipe for granola bars,  I tried this variation with success.  Essentially you make granola first, then use that in the bars.  They are not as crumbly and are more crunchy

Method #2 - .is a little quicker, but results in a more crumbly bar.   It doesn't affect the popularity!

Both are amazing!

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups brown rice crisp cereal (I have only found them at Whole Foods, but you could use "Rice Krispie" type cereal too)
1/4 cup flaxmeal
1/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup chopped almonds - I really crush these so my kids don't see big nut pieces
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (for method #1 only)

4 TBSP butter
1/3 cup peanut butter (I use all natural)
1/3 cup almond butter (could use peanut butter)
2/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional, could use dried fruit)

Method #1

1. Mix all dry ingredients together, except the chocolate chips, if using and the rice crisp cereal.  
2. Combine the dry ingredients with the melted coconut oil and bake in a 325 degree oven for 20 mins, mixing every few minutes.  When done, let cool.
3. Add brown rice crisp cereal

Method #2

1. Mix all dry ingredients together, except  the chocolate chips, if using.

For either method used above, 

1. In a small pan, melt the butter, honey, peanut butter and almond butter over medium heat.  Once everything is melted, cook on low for 5 minutes.  Add vanilla.
2. Mix wet ingredients with dry.  
3. If using chocolate chips, let the mixture cool  before adding so they don't melt.
4. Press into a buttered 9x13 pan.  Press really hard!  I use a piece of wax paper cereal bag on top to help with the pressing.   Let set up in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

You could use all peanut butter or all almond butter.  If you need to be nut-free, try soy nut butter and skip the almonds.  I haven't tried, but dried fruit could be added as well if you like.

Do you make your own granola bars?

This post was shared at The Green Phone Booth, Teach Me Tuesday, Seasonal Celebration Sunday, Vintage Mauve, Frugally Sustainable, From Dream To Reality, Fabulous Friday and Snacktime Saturday.