Step aside Chewy! Everybody needs easy go-to granola bars for snack time, breakfast, or post-workout. If you’re trying to live more sustainably like me, you’re also looking for a way to cut out single use wrappers. This recipe is picky-eater approved, healthy, quick, easy to make, AND uses ingredients that most people have in the cabinet.

If you’re like me, when mid-morning and mid-afternoon hit, you’re ready for a snack. In our house, granola bars are a necessity because they’re the only grab-and-go snack we can agree on. Since we’re runners, we’re particular about ingredients, and need a snack that’s going to hold us over.

The last thing you want is a snack that leaves you starving again in 10 minutes!

This recipe was developed out of the necessity for the ultimate granola bar that would meet the approval of a husband who is picky about his snacks and CONSTANTLY hungry! This recipe had to be better than Nature Valley – the perfect combo of sweet, salty, chewy, and a little crunch.

The stakes were high and this recipe stepped up to the plate! The judges (my husband and I) conferred and decided the requirements for each contestant (ahem…granola bar) was:

• Fresh, whole ingredients. NO FAKE SWEETENERS!
• No plastic. They had to be stored in the pantry or the fridge
• The base recipe had to be customizable – one week we might make peanut butter while vanilla and macadamia nut the next.
• They had to be quick to make, with no baking!

After a couple rounds of testing, the perfect simple recipe was created using these base ingredients:

Rolled oats

We use fast cooking rolled oats in our house for waffles, oatmeal, smoothies, and granola bars. If you’re looking for a good granola bar base, oats are your guy. They’re better than using flour, are whole grain, and a great source of important vitamins, minerals, fiber. Plus they’re versatile. If you don’t like the texture, pop them in a food processor and create a smooth flour-like consistency. If you want more flavor, toast them in the oven until light brown. Plus they can be gluten free!

Honey

We use honey as a natural sweetener because not only is it soothing and helps with digestion, but it has great flavor. In granola bars it’s the perfect thing to hold everything together without baking. Natural honey is fantastic but if it’s not more of a liquid consistency you’ll need to pop in in the microwave for a couple minutes until it’s a smoother consistency to work in this recipe.

Nuts

I firmly believe every granola bar should have nuts! They have protein and healthy fats to keep you full longer. We found the tastiest ones for this recipe were walnuts, peanuts, and hazelnuts.

Peanut butter

Who doesn’t love nut butter?! We used PB2 powdered peanut butter in this recipe because it was in our pantry and high in protein. Regular peanut butter or a nut butter would be just as tasty!

Raisins

Everyone should look for ways to include good fiber in their diet. Raisins are a good source of fiber to keep things regular. Plus they’re tasty!

Spices

Let’s keep things simple. The best spices for a granola bar are cinnamon and nutmeg. Nutmeg is a particular taste so try it first before you make a whole batch. If you’re not into either of those try some vanilla or allspice.

Add-ons

Chocolate chips are a favorite of my husband, however I prefer dried fruits with some tang like dried cherries or cranberries. Seeds are also a great option, especially chia, and sunflower.

Quick note before jumping in

I’ve found the consistency of the mix is a big deal! The amount of water you add will make a difference. Most of the time I don’t quite use the full 1/2 cup of water. I’m visual, so for you visual people out there here’s a visual for before adding water and and after:

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