Chewy Granola Bars

We were going through boxes and boxes of store bought chewy granola bars so I searched for a recipe so we could make our own. This one is great. I feel better about my kids eating something homemade without all the processing of packaged ones! We found them a bit crumbly too. A few changes include whole wheat flour in place of white, have increased the honey & butter a bit, and substituted a cup or two of Rice Crispy's in place of some of the oatmeal to make them a bit lighter and crunchy. We have also cut down on the chips to 1 cup as 2 cups were much too sweet for us. They are a favorite by all!

Excellent! I've made these several times. These suggestions from previous reviewers worked best: 1. Increase butter and honey to 1 cup each. 2. Mix WELL (until sticky). 3. Press HARD into pan. 4. Freeze bars to make less crumbly. I also substitute 1/4 cup Rice Krispies for some of the oats, for better texture.

These were incredible!!! These are the best granola bars I've ever tried, literally. The version I made tasted almost identical to the Quaker chocolate chip granola bars that kids love. I made a few adjustments like using whole-wheat flour, omitting the sugar and creaming together 2/3 cup butter and 2/3 cup honey together instead and everything came together beautifully! I added shredded coconut, pecans and 1/2 of a bar of 70% chocolate that I chopped up. PERFECT! Thank you so much for the recipe Nancy!

These were delicious!!! I didn't add the brown sugar or the chocolate chips to make them healthier and they came out great. The honey made them sweet enough without the extra sugar added.

These granola bars are AWESOME! They held together superbly, and I had no problems with them crumbling at all. I did add the extra honey, as the other reviewers suggested, and I also used a handheld roller to FIRMLY press the mixture into my pan both before and after cooking. The recipe indicates to lightly press it into the pan, but I packed it all in there as tightly as I possibly could... The results were great! Thanks for a great recipe!

I was a bit shy to try this recipe after reading about it being so dry. I assure you that mine did NOT come out dry. I decreased my oats to 4 cups, used one stick butter, 1/2 c. honey, 1/2 c. applesauce, and 12 ounces of trail mix (which I may change out later). I did not put any brown sugar in it as I thought the trail mix, honey, and applesauce would be enough. I am keeping this recipe.

I just made these today and Wow! I am always skipping breakfast and worse yet raiding the vending machine when I get to work. Store bought breakfast/granola bars are expensive(the good kind anyway) and I wanted to find a homemade recipe to have a nutritious "grab n go" breakfast.I wanted more of a health bar so I used 3 cups of Vitamin Enriched Bran Flakes and 2 1/2 c. oats. I put the bran flakes and 2 cups of the oats in a food processor and blended it to form a "cornmeal" type texture. I also added 1/2 cup of peanut butter and reduced the flour to 1/2 cup and mini chocolate chips to 3/4 cup. PERFECT! Try the tips I used and believe me you wont be disappointed..there's tons of room in this recipe for tweaking and adjusting to your own preference. Thanks for sharing this one Nancy!

This is absolutely awesome!! I always have to have it available to eat!! The first time I made these, they came out crumbly and was the only one that ate them. The second time, i didn't know how much 2/3c was, so used 7Tbsp of butter and melted it. They come out perfect every time and everyone loves them!! MELT THE BUTTER. So thank you very much!!

I added mashed banana and some apple sauce, as well as using the full cup of margerine. My bars were nice and chewy and didn't fall apart at all. Deeeeelish.

Ok, I read some of the mixed reviews of these, but I went ahead and made them exactly as written anyway. They're awesome! Chewy and delicious! Here's what I did that might make them more successful for others: Mixed oats, flour, baking soda, brown sugar, and chocolate chips together. Cut in the butter really well. Measured out honey then added the vanilla to the honey, and poured in dry mixture. Blended REALLY well.. for a couple minutes at least until there wasn't a dry crumb to be seen. Poured into pan, spread out, and patted it down FIRMLY. Baked for only 18 minutes (until only the edges were slightly browned). Once out of the oven, pressed it into the pan again and let it sit in the pan until completely cool (30 minutes to an hour I think). I used a pizza cutter and cut into bars and put them in the fridge to cool even more. When I took them out of the pan, they weren't crumbly at all. If you undermix, overbake, and/or cut these too soon - you'll have problems.

I was not impressed with this recipe at all. It wasn't chewy like I thought it would be. I was surprised at how soft the texture was and it reminded me of a bland chocolate chip cookie bar. I think I was looking for a bar that has the texture of Quaker chewy granola bars.

I urge everyone to try this recipe as is without using any other suggestion than from the written recipe......This was great as is however I made a few changes the second time I made :,First I added different type of chopped nuts, raisin,dried cranberry, dried chopped tropical fruits found in the health food store along with shredded coconut....I left out the brown sugar and added maple syrup in place of the honey....let me tell u it was soooo good...It is very important to press down mixture in the pan and cut while hot leave in pan to cool this will ensure your bars don't fall apart

I made this with multiple modifications which were as follows: 3 1/2 cups oats, 1 cup Rice Krispies, 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup flaxseed meal, 1/4 cup oat bran, omit butter, use 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce, use 1/4 cup honey, omit brown sugar, use 1/2 cup turbinado sugar, add two egg whites. Line pan with parchment (overlap sides for easy removal later). Otherwise, follow recipe as written. Press into pan firmly before baking, remove from oven at about nine minutes and press again, and press again when you remove it from oven. Cut into bars while warm (in pan), refrigerate to cool fully, THEN remove from pan by pulling up parchment. I really like this recipe with the modifications, and hope to further reduce the sugar content.

They taste really good. You should wait before you cut them into pieces as they are too soft right after cooked and they may break, waiting a few hours, they become harder and nicer to eat! Its better to use thinner oats, bur for my recipy i added less oats and practically no sugar because vanilla and honey do the rest. I make them for my littke kids of 3 and they love it!!

i absolutely love this recipe!!! i don't think i will ever buy store-made granola bars again. the variety you can create is ENDLESS - choc chips, nuts, dried fruits, m+m's, cereal, marshamllows...and on and on! my only complaint is that i think the 2 cups of add-in's is too high - when i make them with chocolate chips, 1 cup is plenty (and i love chocolate!). otherwise i think they turn into a dessert bar. but my kids enjoy them, i love them... i will be making these regularly for a very long time!

I love these! I will never buy granola bars again! I use 1 stick butter and up the honey to about 3/4 cup. I like to use 1 cup dried berries, 3/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds, and 1/4 cup flax seed. I use a rolling pin to pack the mixture down to ensure the bars are...well...bars! Note: Do not use wheat germ in place of flour - flour is a binding agent and helps to prevent the bars from getting burned.

These were great!! To prevent crumbling, I did as another reviewer said about mixing in the oats a little at a time, and it worked. I only used 4 cups oats. I also used 1/2 whole wheat flour, 1/2 white flour, only about a 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and a little under 1/3 cup brown sugar because I didn't want them to be too sweet. I also used raw honey - and I highly recommend that for GREAT honey flavor! Oh, and I accidentally forgot the vanilla. I took a pan to work and they were gone in less than 2 hours. They were very good and not crumbly at all. Oh, and I mixed by hand, too, to prevent crumbling.

These were delicious!!!! I know some people dislike when reviewers make changes, but to me that's one of the best parts of this site---seeing the variations and changes people made to differ or better recipes--so here's mine: Used 4 cups oats, 1/2 all purpose and 1/2 whole wheat flour, 3 T melted butter and 1/4 cup canola oil. Some were per others suggestions. Also, pressed bars down again mid way through cooking--amazing!!!!!

Never made before and will never buy prepackaged again. Brought to campout and was a hit. Added apple sauce and anything that sounded good from the pantry...cranberries, mixed nuts, raisins, wheat germ, etc.

Well these are PERFECT. I have been looking for a long time for the perfect granola bar recipe that I can add tons of delicious nuts and fruit to and this is it. I did take the wise advise of others and put in 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of honey. I added tons of whole almonds, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds. Every bite is chocked full. These are very tasty and pretty. I only used 2 cups of oats only because I ran out. I highly, highly agree with Kaley Rae-MELT THE BUTTER. It makes it so much easier to mix and I let them sit 5 minutes so the oats will absorb some of the moisture. These are truly so full of flavor. When hot they seem like the are going to fall apart- when cooled they will not. The texture is perfect too. Thanks you BURSTEIN. My search for the perfect granola bar is over.

I've made this recipe a number of times, both as bars and as granola. The quality of honey and butter that you use is important. It's also important to use a slower-cooking variety of oats, like old fashioned or rolled oats - if you use quick oats there just isn't enough honey to make things stick together. Also as noted in other reviews, if you want your bars to stick together, you don't want to 'lightly press' it into the pan, press as hard as you can!! You're always going to get a certain amount of crumbling and you just have to be OK with it. The good thing about this recipe is that it's quick, easy, and tasty so just go with the shortcomings. As a granola recipe it works great. It's pretty sweet so I leave out the sugar. I do raisins, sunflower seeds, and minced almonds and walnuts instead of chocolate chips. Maple syrup subs in great if you're out of honey, and seems to stick together better - might work well for bars, maybe someone will try this. It does make the recipe a bit more expensive though.

Very good. Yes, a bit crumbly, as others have noted. I used the 1/2 c. honey as written. I halved the butter to 1/3 c. and added 1/3 c. peanut butter. Also replaced one cup of the oats with 1 c. rice krispies. Instead of the chocolate chips I added 1/2 c. sunflower seeds and 1 c. raisins. They are very healthy tasting. Do freeze them, individually wrapped, so they stay fresh and tasty.

i tweaked the recipe a little and they turned out tasty. I snuck a bite and they seemed a little dry when they first got out of the oven, but by the time they had cooled, the honey had worked it's magic and they had just the right amount of moistness. Here's the ingredient list I used: * 4 cups quick oats * 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour * 1 teaspoon baking soda * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract * 3/4 cup whole milk yogurt * 1 tablespoon oil * 3/4 cup honey * 2 tablespoons light molasses * 3/4 cups dark chocolate chips They were not crumbly at all. Following the instructions on when to cut and when to move the bars, might help those who have problems with the crumblies because 1. hot bars seem to like to stick to the pan more and 2.leaving them to cool for a couple hours gives the honey time to do it's magic, so they're moister than when they first come out of the oven.

Okay, I have tried a ton of granola bar recipes lately. And like the many other recipes I have tried this one fell apart and crumbled too much. However, the taste was good and I think with a little tweaking it may have a lot of potential. It may not be the healthiest bar recipe but at least we will probably eat all of these where as the others I have tried just went to the trash can. If I try it again I will mix the wet ingedients in a sauce pan and then add it too the oat mixture just to combine the ingredients better. The softened butter just didn't incorporate well with the oats as written. I will also consider adding more honey or maybe an egg white to hold it together better.

Very good recipe. Altered it a bit, used ww flour like other's had, melted 1/2c no salt butter with 1/3c peanut butter, 3/4c honey and 1/4c corn syrup 1/2tsp salt and 3/4tsp cinnamon, omitted the sugar. Instead of 4c of oats I added 1cup and also a cup each of special K, corn flakes and natures path organic flax granola. Also added 1/3c each of dried cranberries, coconut, chopped pecans,mini choco.chips, reeses chips and 3/4c of mini marshmallow. Pressed it into a rimmed cookie sheet (instead of 9x13 pan) and halfway through baking pressed it down like one other review had said and then pressed it again after baking was complete, came out awesome!

Fantastic! These are so tasty, easy to make and do not fall apart as some have suggested. I also love the fact that the base recipe is so versatile, and because of this I did make a few changes. I halved the recipe and used a great deal less butter, only about a table spoon. I used a bit more honey and compensated the butter by adding applesauce, which turned out wonderfully. I also added a bit of cinnamon and chocolate chips. Great recipe, and I can't wait to try more variations!

Easy and the kids love them. So much better that the processed store bought ones. To keep the bars from falling apart I place bar mixture on one cookie sheet lined with parchment paper then cover with parchment paper and place a second cookie sheet on top and stand on the cookie sheet to really compact the mixture.

everybody loves this recipe! I used 1 cup of honey and found that the back of a large spoon was sufficient to mix together the butter, honey, br. sugar, vanilla . I did not have to use my hands . also I used a plastic bag as a glove to press the granola into a 9X13" pan. came out great. i used choc. chips, puffed amaranth, peanuts, coconut, and half a cup of wheat germ instead of the extra half cup of oats. it is a real winner!

I have made this recipe many times. You definately need to up the honey and butter content though. Otherwise way too dry. I substitute whole wheat flour for the white and Becel margarine for the butter. just to make a little healthier. I also include Craisins (cranberry raisins) which adds a bit of colour and taste. Very Yummy! Thanks for the recipe!

I made these granola bars today and they were really good. They are chewy, I did increase the honey and melted the butter (from another review). Melting the butter worked great. They were really tasty and the family loved them! Thanks for the recipe- I'll definately make these again. UPDATE- I froze about half of the granola bars and I just took the rest out of the freezer- they are fantastic frozen! Also, when cutting the granola bars, I cut them into 36 pieces instead of 18 because they are quite thick. The smaller serving sizes are perfect for the kids lunches. UPDATE: I made these again yesterday but instead of chocolate chips, I added dried cranberries and they are absolutely fantastic. I also changed the type of honey I used, this time I used amber honey which was a little stronger than what I had before and I like the darker honey better- it has a litte more flavor. And, as always, I used 3 1/2 c. oats, 1 cup rice crispies and increased the honey.

These are awesome!!! I only substituted applesauce for butter, since I'm trying to eat healthier and was the main reason I made these. They come out perfectly chewy and hold together (unlike another recipe I made where they were dry and crumbly and fell apart). I have packaged them individually so I can grab them as snacks on the go, and I will definitely be making them again once I run out :) Thanks a for a great, easy recipe!

A complete hit! Everyone loved them, I tried these with a picky crowd and they all loved them included my mom who had problems with granola in the past. Few tips: add more honey instead of the sugar to keep them off the crumminess of the original recipe, other than that these a real treat for snack time throughout the year!

This is a great recipe! I started to sell several trays of these and a successful hit in the office. Since honey is a little pricy, I compensated 1/2 cup honey with about 3/4 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup evaporated milk/ fresh milk. To sum it up, I made use of 1 1/2 cup brown sugar. Then, I omitted the baking soda in the recipe that calls for honey. From my researches, baking soda is used to take away the slight acidity form the honey and is unnecessary with the use of sugar. Since I am a choco lover, I added 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder. I also chopped 1/4 cup of raisins and 1/2 cup of nuts. Then I reduced the choco chips to 1/2 cup of white choco chips. Lastly, I greased my pans with butter then dusted it with flour so I could remove the bars on the pan nicely. Hope this helps!

We loved these bars! As others did, I used 1 cup of honey and 3/4 butter. I also think they came out much better when I made them in my jelly roll pan as opposed to the 9X13. We've made them several times and my 4 year old loves them. We have added rice cereal, chips of all kinds, mini marshmallows, and after decreasing the amount of butter, I added peanut butter. I have given this recipe to all my coworkers and family and we, too, will be eating these instead of store bars.

Excellent. Nothing short of a Mouthgasim. The only change I made was that I added dried cherrys, I should warn you its easy to leave them in too long, the first time I made them I waited untill they were golden brown and found them crunchy, but if you pull them out while still soft they will be much chewyer.

Wow. I decided to try this based on a friend's recommendation and I'm so glad I did because it instantly became a favorite. I read a few reviews and decided to press the bars into the pan as hard as possible and I liked the results. Yesterday, I used a cup of chocolate chips and a cup of Craisins, and since they are almost gone, am making them again today, this time trying another flavor combination. Thanks for such a great and easy recipe! Since my son is allergic to peanuts, we never buy the store bought bars, this way I can control the ingredients and the whole family will happily eat these!

As according to the other reviews I added 1 c honey and 1 c butter. Also I found if you don't cook it the full amount, just until the top is slightly brown, that they stay moist. I have added rice krispies, mini m&m's, mini choclate chips, Kashi go lean cereal and everytime it comes out great. I also have substituted the flour for whole wheat flour and it still works! Thank you for the perfect granola bar recipe that you can do just about anything to.

Tasty, but now chewy, and definitely not "extra chewy". I read the reviews before making and decided to reduce the oats by 1 cup. Still, pretty dry and crumbly. Sigh. I really wanted a CHEWY granola bar.

These bars are AWESOME!! I made a few modifications after reading reviews, but I don't know that they were nec. I "eyeballed" 1/2 c of honey, BUT, I added 1-1/4 c. of butter(2-1/2 sticks)...I used only 4 c of oats, but it seemed to wet...so I added another cup (5 c total)...I think that 1c of butter with the 4-1/2 c of oats would be fine for next time...Basically the only change that I would make is increasing the butter to 1 c. I added pb and milk choc chips to 1/3 of my batch, yellow raisins to another 1/3, and semi-sweet choc chips to the remaining...I shaped mine into granola bars before baking...when they come out of the oven they ARE crumbly, allow them to COOL COMPLETELY to soften and be removable from the pan(or you will end up with a crumbly mess!! Have fun and ENJOY!! They are GREAT

These are wonderfull. I have made them two times now. I cut down on the brown sugar a little though, because the first time they were too sweet. I will continue to make these. They are a great snack for my little ones and much more economical and healthy than store bought. Thanks for the recipie

These are good. I was looking for a simple granola bar that comes together quickly and doesn't have a long ingredient list. This recipe does just that. I've used oil in place of the butter with good results. The combination of honey and brown sugar compliment each other. Nice recipe.

Just amazing! I took some advice, and cut out 1/4 cup of oats, and added 1/4 cup applesauce. The applesauce was really necessary to make it moist enough to bind. We used dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and slivered almonds. And it certainly has to cool COMPLETELY before cutting, or it will fall totally apart (which is when you use it for breakfast cereal, hehe!). My kids ate two batches in three days, I had to hide them! I'll be buying oats in bulk from now on, thank you!

These are sooooo good. I added 3/4 c. of honey. The first time I made these, I just used the 7 T. butter recommended by another reviewer. The second time I made these (the same day...they were so yummy!) I melted the 7 T. butter. This did seem to make the bars more firm. They were still fragile but if you follow the directions about when to cut them and how to cool them, they are fairly easy to handle. I wrapped them carefully and froze them. I made them for a road trip we have coming up but at this rate, none will be left. They are good frozen or thawed. They are firmer thawed than they were after baking.

This recipe is delicious. And the bars are so pretty. I am trying to cut back on sugar so I did as others suggested and doubled the honey. I only had wheat flour so that is what I used. It must have contributed to the golden color.

This is a great basic recipe that you can add lot's of variations to. One of the few w/o peanut butter for all the PB restrictions at school these days! I'm also going to try to increase the butter and honey so they are a little less crumbly. I think I will also try putting this in a bigger pan for flatter bars...this made a lot!

These were really easy, soft, chewy and delicious. I love the idea that I know exactly what I'm feeding my kids. I followed the advice of other reviewers and added a little more butter and honey. The second time I made them I added less chocalate chips and to give it a lighter texture I crumbled cheerios in the mix (1 cup of cheerios substituted 1 cup of oatmeal).

After reading all the reviews, these are the changes I decided to make to the original recipe: 1) Decreased butter to 1/2 cup. 2) Added 1/2 applesauce. 3) Pressed the mixture VERY firmly into the pan. I didn't have any problems at all with crumbling. The texture is quite perfect for my family (husband hates crunchy granola bars). I used chocolate chips on one side of the pan and raisins on the other. Next time I think I'll add a teaspoon of cinnamon. I can't wait to try different throw-ins. Yummy and versatile recipe. (I gave it 4 stars because of the changes I made.) I just realized what these remind me of! Those really yummy Quaker oatmeal bars that are soft and tasty. Drizzle some icing on these babies and they're basically the same thing at a MUCH lower price.

Easy to make and they tasted good. They were a little dry and crumbly, though.

I've made these twice. The first time, I followed other reviewers advice and added 1/3 c. extra butter/margarine. I reduced the chocolate chips to 1 c. and added some trail mix. I found the resulting bars to taste more like the bottom of a date square than the "granola bar" I was seeking. Also, they were too thick for my taste. However, they did taste very good. So, I tried them again. This time, I added 1/3 butter + 1/3 margarine so they wouldn't be as rich. I added 2 c. of trail mix and 1 c. chocolate chips. I added one egg to help it stick together and (I hoped) to add a bit of crispness. It seemed effective on both counts, but will actually try again with 2 eggs and see what happens. The flavour was excellent this time too. Though I ususally find many recipes too sweet, I found this one to be just the right sweetness. I would add less sugar if the ingredients I was adding had lots of sugar (i.e., marshmallows, choc. chips, etc.)

These are perfect! My family has them gone within a week. Although I have made a batch and frozen it with good results. It was a bit drier but not enough that it bothered me or the family...Good Job this one is a keeper!

These were good, but not what I was looking for. These are definitely a cookie, not a granola bar. I worked the dough with my hands to make sure it was well blended and used wet hands to firmly press it into the pan. My kids really loved them. I'm still searching for a true granola bar recipe like ones I would buy in the store....

These are awesome! I used whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose and they turned out great!

My family absolutely LOVES these granola bars! I did make some changes though, I omit the brown sugar. The first time I made them I forgot to add it, but after tasting them, I didn't think they needed the extra sugar. I also use 4 cups of oats and a cup of honey. I've made several different varieties, apple cinnamon, banana chocolate chip and cranberry white chocolate chip.

I tried to make them exact, but I did need more honey about 1 cup, and more butter probably about 3/4c. I also took suggestions and used the 1/2 cup of rice krispies. But I used just rainbow chocolate chips to suggestion. The sugar probably wasn't needed because of so much honey. I loved the taste of them, but my son did not. They're very thick...I even cut them thin making 19 of them. However, i think the only thing healthy about this granola bar is the fact there is no perservitives in them. They're still quite unhealthy. On weight watchers at 19 they worked out to be 8points each...which is a meal in itself. I could have 1/2 of one for 4 points. Thanks for sharing...they did taste pretty darn good!. I much rather have half of one these then the store bought kind.

I love this recipe; it is very quick and easy. The first batch I made, following the recipe, were a little too crumbly for my taste. On my second try, following suggestions from other reviewers, I used 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 cup of honey and 1/2 cup of butter. This batch was a hit with the rest of my family. As soon as I buy more oats, I will definitely make more!

I printed this recipe about a year ago, and make it every other month or so. It has been a huge hit with family and friends and as a result have given this recipe to almost everyone I know! I only use 4 cups of rolled oats and often use regular cooking oats instead of rolled oats because they are cheaper. I also add just about anything to them in varying combinations: peanut butter, raisins, dried blueberries and cranberries, craisins, marshmallows, apples diced into tiny pieces, dried fruit. I mix the wet ingredients together and then add them to the dry, and add the extras which seems to cause them to be less crumbly. I've also started to keep them in the fridge-which seems to help them from crumbling as much.

These bars are AWESOME!!! They have become a staple in our household. I have followed some of the other suggestions and experimented on my own... I omit the brown sugar, use wheat flour, up the honey to 1 cup, use only 3 1/2 cups of rolled oats, and add 1/2 cup each of ground and whole flax. I also cut back the chocolate chips to 1 cup, and make sure to pack everything down FIRMLY... otherwise it will fall apart! Also, if you refrigerate it right after it cools, the cutting goes a lot smoother. It is also good with cranberries or dried apricots!

I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of using dried cranberries instead of chocolate chips. They turned out great! I wrapped them individually in cling wrap so they are an easy snack on the go.

Way too sweet, but that's easily remedied. Other than that, great base recipe.

This is not only easy and delicious, it is also easy to customize. So far everyone who has tried the bars I've made from this recipe (and personal variants) have loved them. I like to shop at Bulk Barn for my granola bar supplies, and I've found all sorts of options as to partial to total replacement of the chocolate chips: from almonds and cranberries to sweet and salty sunflower seeds to even crunchy caramel bits, the variations are endless. I have found, though, that making them without the chocolate chips (like a cinnamon raisin variety) would have required more "glue" to hold things together since there was no melted chocolate, so upping the honey a bit for the no-chocolate variations might be a good idea to prevent them from crumbling too much.

I love how you can add or subtract what you want and it still comes out delicious. Kids eat these faster thatn store bought. I do use 1 cup butter and honey. I only use 1/2 cup chocolate chips. The other 1 1/2 cups is other stuff. Otherwise way too sweet. I also use rolling pin (daughter's smaller one) to skwoosh together before cooking. I also roll it again as soon as it comes out of the oven. Wait 10 minutes, cut it and then let it cool completely. Easier to cut that way.

These granola bars are AMAZING!!! Please don't waste your money on the store brands and make these instead. You can throw in whatever you have at home and it is healthier for you too! I made these without the chocolate chips and brown sugar as I wanted a healthier version. What I've done: -grind a total of two cups all bran flakes with Quaker oats -grind together raisins, cranberries, unsalted sunflower seed, unsweetened coconut, almonds -add to 1 cup organic whole-wheat flour, baking soda,vanilla, 1 cup butter and 1 cup honey. Enjoy!!:)

This is a GREAT recipe! I too, increased the amount of honey (added 2/3 cup). Added about 1 1/2 c. of rice krispies instead of all oatmeal. I would also suggest that after you cut them in the pan (which I did after about 15 mins after taking them out of the oven), to pop them in the frig so they set. That seemed to help them "stick" better! I have breakfast for myself for a couple of weeks now!

This is a great basic granola bar recipe. it's much better than the more popular "playgroup granola bar" recipe on this site, which, in my opinion, is kinda gross.

Changed a few things: 2 1/2 cups rolled oats instead of original recipe amount; 1 cup choc. chips instead of original amount; added 2 1/2 cups raisin bran cereal and 1/2 cup chopped almonds. More nutrition (from cereal and nuts) less sugar because less chocolate.

The recipe needs more honey as it does not stick enough. I added a nutty all grain cereal. The best option in most desserts like this is to use parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. You can easily remove the recipe out of the pan

These were fabulous. I did make a few changes based on what I had on hand. Instead of rolled oats I used Special K granola and added dried cranberries and pistachios. They are fabulous!

I have made these bars several times and they turn out perfect every time. The only reason they make fall apart is if you take them out of the pan too early. I use a jelly roll pan and it works very nicely. Everyone that has eaten them can't get enough. I have played around with several different add-ins but the favorite so far has been chocolate and peanut butter chips. I haven't changed a thing about how I make them and they are fantastic! THANKS!

VERY YUMMY! I added corn syrup to bring the honey up to 1 cup, then sub'd rice krispies & puffed wheat for the last cup of oats, and added coconut & raisins with a splash of applesauce. delish.

they are VERY delicious bars, but are very crumbly. I'll have to figure a way to make them stick together better

Left out the sugar. Increased honey to 6oz and butter to 1 stick. Added 1/2 cup PB. Pretty good.

These things are great! I did use 1 cup honey and 3/4 cup butter. I also added 1 cup powdered milk (for nutrition) and added 1/4 cup corn syrup. This made them extra chewy and moist. My sons (who are very picky) and I love these we use all sorts of variations, like dried apple,walnut and cinnamon chips.

AWESOME! Instead of adding more honey for moistness, I added 1 mashed banana and reduced margarine to 1/2 cup (or less). Nice texture, not crumbly, and just the right sweetness. Also added cinnnamon & nutmeg, mixed raisins & nuts - anything goes with this recipe. Thanks!

These are super easy to make! I make them to take to work for my breakfast. Much better than boxed and cheaper. I melted the butter as another suggested and had no problems with them falling apart. I used one cup of chocolate chips and baked for 18 minutes. Great recipe! UPDATE: To make these healthier I now use whole wheat flour, one stick of butter, 1/2 cup of applesauce, less brown sugar and 1/2 cup of choc chips. Still great with these changes and makes me feel better about eating them!

Very satisfying and chewy. I used 1 generous cup of mini semi sweet chips and 1 generous cup of mixed dried fruit including raisins, cranberries, apricots, figs and cherries. I used a slightly bigger pan, and was careful not to overcook them so that they would stay chewy.

I can't keep these in the house! My boys gobble them up before they even have a chance to get completely cool. I have modified this a bit. Reduced the amount of Oats by 1/2 a cup. Included 1 cup of peanut butter. Increased the butter to 1 cup and added raisins. No trouble at all with dryness with the modified recipe.

Did not add the sugar, added apple sauce instead and cocoa powder, apricot and coconut. Cooked for 11 mins and they held together well.

This is an excellent base recipe that I will definitely use again! I made a bunch of tweaks to suit what I had on hand, including swapping 1 cup of crunchy peanut butter for the butter, adding extra honey (as suggested by other reviewers) and a lil' molasses, and reducing the sugar. I also only used 4 cups of oats and subbed the last 1/2 cup with coconut instead. In addition to chocolate chips, I also added dried cranberries & mango, toasted almonds, sunflower seeds, and hemp hearts. I pressed the granola down mid-way through baking and once again before it cooled. The end result was not crumbly at all. In fact, they are amazing!!

These are amazing! I read the reviews before making them and with a few adjustments they are perfect. I increased the butter to 3/4 cup, add @ 1/4 cup Nutella and @ 1/4-1/2 cup peanut butter and increase the oats to 5 cups. Use the butter wrapper to grease the pan. I squish them down good with a flipper before baking. After 10 minutes I pull them out and re-squish. I bake @ 8 more minutes until the edges start to brown, re-squish and let cool. They turn out great! My 2 year old calls them "tooth buddys"...

I made these tonight and they turned out great! They aren't very much like the store-bought kind, but I actually like them much better. I took these suggestions from other reviewers: Add more honey (after the original measurement, I just kind of poured it in until the dough seemed properly moist), and replace some of the oats with Rice Krispies cereal (I did 1 cup which seemed to be a pretty good amount). I also used about half mini chocolate chips, half peanut butter chips. It's good that way but not overwhelmingly so; I probably wouldn't do it that way next time (I just wanted to use up my PB chips). I also liked the pan with foil which made it easy to remove the bars. Great recipe! I bet you could put almost anything in them.

These are great! I followed the advice of others and added 1 cup butter and 1 cup honey. Our add-ins were coconut and cranberries-yummy! You can also add 1/2 cup peanut butter and only 1/2 cup honey for more protein for those summer picnics! Great energy bars for the kids and healthy too! Thanks again for the recipe!

These are the best. I need nut free granola bars and want them to be preservative free and low in sugar. Good luck finding them in a grocery store. I used 1/2 butter melted, no sugar, 3/4 c. honey and 1/4 c. applesauce. I pressed them into a pampered chef large bar pan (similar to a cookie sheet), covered them with waxed paper and rolled them with a rolling pin. The first time I made them I took them out 1/2 way to roll them again (covered with waxed paper). I let them cool partially in the pan, cut them into 32 and wrapped them all indiv. and then put them into a large freezer bag and popped them into the freezer. They are delicious frozen and are perfect for popping into the kids lunch boxes in the am (the schools are nut free...hence my quest for a peanut butter free granola bar). They also make a healty breakfast choice when you are in a rush to get out the door (of course this depends on what you add for accessories....I tried craisins, white chocolate chips and sunflower seeds the first time....and semi-sweet mini choc chips with raisins and sunflower seeds the second time). I will be making these weekly during the school year FOR SURE!! Thanks SO much for this recipe!!

Followed recipe completely. Very dry and crumbled apart. Will make again but will use the suggestions

I modified the recipe and people are raving about how delicious. Very similar in taste to the Cosi Break Bar. I used 6 cups rolled oats, 2 cup rice crispy, 1 1/2 c wheat flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 c butter softened, 1 1/2 c honey, 1 c splenda brown sugar, 1 bag white choc chips, 1 bag dried cranberries, 1 c. raisens, 1 med jar sunflower kernals, handfull of chopped pistacios, handful chopped cashews. The only thing I did different was to mix the butter, honey, and vanilla before adding it to the first dry ingrediants. You can bake in a square pan, or make large cookie sized individual patties and bake as directed. I wrapped them individually in the Glad cling wrap and they were very handy snaks. Made about one dozen individual large cookies and 2 doz bars.

This recipe is great. You can also substitute almond or peanut butter for some of the butter. I recommend adding coconut. They taste like a dessert bar. Use non-hydrogenated margarine and no honey and these will be vegan. Yummy!

Wow, didn't think this would turn out as good as it did, since the recipe was so quick and easy to make. I didn't even have time to take a picture, as they were eaten so fast...I was so impressed with these that I gave some to my Mom, mother-in-law and sister in law for them to taste. I'll be sure to make some, very very soon... I am si glad this is a home made option instead of those store bought bars. On top of being economical, they are ecological too ! ( Think of all those printed wrappers and boxes that you save this planet from !! Why didn't I think of this sooner ?? I love this site, period.

I had been looking for a chewy granola bar to make for meal replacement bars and thought I would try this one. I made several changes though: I took 1 cup of rolled oats out and subbed in 1 cup of grape-nuts, didn't use any brown sugar, no choc. chips, added 2 scoops of protein powder (GNC Total Lean powder, Vanilla Bean flavor), and added 1 egg. I also used raisins and dried blueberries (this is really what made them taste and smell so good!), almond slivers and walnuts. Bars turned out perfectly chewy. Made for one very delicious and filling granola bar! Will definitely be making more

I loved these granola bars. I used the suggestion to melt the butter. I did add extra honey and about 2 tablespoons more of butter. I also added a teaspoon of cinnamon. These bars are great.

I love this recipe! I actually omitted the choco chips and just added choco powder and peanut butter and cooked it longer. Put it in a cookie pan and it turned out better than those crunchy granola bars that you get from the store!!! Yum!!! Thank you for sharing, we are never buying store bought granola bars again!

Great recipe! I added honey and used a full stick of butter, ww flour, omitted the chocolate chips and used 1 c. of mini M&Ms instead. A huge hit with my kids, we'll definitely use this recipe often. Thank you!

Have the taste and texture of dry cookies

Very good. My one-year old LOVED these. I wish they stuck together a little better, though. I only used 1 cup of chocolate chips, and that was a perfect amount for us. I ran out of oats and used some rice krispies to make up the difference. Next time I'll also add a litle coconut. Very flexible recipe. Thanks!

These were good! The only reason I gave these 4 stars is because they had a really strong honey flavor. Still good though. I put half of the mixture in a 13x9" pan, then a layer of raspberry-peach jam, and then the rest of the oatmeal mixture. I made it for a snack for my daughter's preschool, they really liked it!

I currently live in Tanzania, Africa and you cannot get granola bars so this recipe is fantastic! All the ingredients are readily available and they are so easy to make. My 2-year-old loves them! I found that 2 cups of raisins was WAY TOO MUCH! I only use one half cup and it is perfect.

Great recipe! They turned out great, the only changes made were omitting the sugar and the chocolate chips instead we used almonds, cranberries, hazelnuts and raisins. These bars are way better than the store bought kind and also cheaper.

I tried this last night but with a few changes. I added 1 cup of regular chocolate chips, melted 6 large marshmallows with 10 tablespoons of butter, added a dash of cinnamon, a small box of raisins and 1 can of condensed milk (warmed it in hot water, about 1/2 cup of honey and a 1/2 cup of brown sugar. I took aluminum foil and lightly sprayed it with canola cooking spray placed it on top of the mixture and used a rolling pin to make it flat (works well because the foil didn't stick to the bars). Then I baked it for about 30 mins. My bars are golden brown and they are really soft but they also stick together. NO CRUMBLING OR FALLING APART... I think the melted butter and condensed milk did the trick!!

Though the taste was great, these came out more like oatmeal raisin cookies (I used raisins instead of choco chips) than granola bars. Probably wouldn't make them again. UPDATED: The next day, these were definitely more granola bar-like; I am going to try them again, adding the full 4 1/2 cups of oats next time, which I think will make them nearly perfect!

LOVE this one! I was a little nervous b/c I'd never heard of chicken in chili and especially my husband who is in love with beef. But he raved about it! Even asked to have it for dinner the next night! I used black beans and frozen corn with a can or two full of water to make it more chili like. Otherwise it would have been more like meat for tacos instead of something you eat out of a bowl. I had it with toritilla chips and my husband (who does this with everything) put it in tortillas. :D Overall an excellent and easy dish to make!

I crave these granola bars! I use to get store bought granola bars weekly and now I make them and put them in snack size ziploc bags and they are great for quick snacking and breakfast. I love chocolate and I only use half what the recipe calls for. I also use a pizza cutter to cut them in a bar shape!