Granola Energy Bars

i usually dont leave a review when i change the recipe this much but the end product was soooooo good i just had too. i used all the same proportions given but replaced alot of ingredients. i used 1c oats, 1c granola cereal. 1/3 chia seeds. 1/4 sesame. 1/2 all bran buds. 1/4 flax seed. i used natural almond and cashew butter. and used 80% dark chocolate.

These are amazingly delicious with tons of flavor and texture. My husband can't stop eating them. The only thing I did different is mix the chocolate chips in with the rest and that was just laziness on my part. It's taken years to find a perfect recipe and this is it.

The jury is still out on this one. They have a nice flavor to them. The only thing I'm not sure about is the chocolate. I thought these would be the perfect snack for my husband when he hikes and bikes, but I think the chocolate topping might make them hard to manage. I followed the recipe exactly the only thing I did different is not melt the chocolate chips I just sprinkled them on top of the bars and stuck them back in the oven for a minute then spread them. One less thing to clean. Thanks for sharing.

I absolutely loved this recipe. You have to grind the flax seeds to get the nutritional benefits from it, so I ground them in a coffee grinder. I also used crunchy peanut butter and WAY LESS chocolate chips - I used maybe a handful. I spread the chips on the top of the bars after they cooked, then popped them back in the oven so the chips would soften and melt (about five minutes). Then I used a spatula to spread the chocolate around. This is one of my favorite recipes!

Great recipe! I eat these after a workout or while on a hike. I use a variation of dried fruit, and I use ground flax seed instead of the whole seeds. I used soy nut butter for peanut butter due to allergies, and applesauce instead of oil. Dark chocolate on the top and what a rocking bar!

It was a little too sweet for my taste. The second time I cut back on the honey and added and egg white to help replace the moister and hold it together. I also suggest using flax seed meal or just grind up the flax seed or you will not digest the nutrients from the flax seed.

Excellent bars! I feel good giving them to my family since they have a lot of healthy ingredients. I did change it a bit to give the bars a little more protein and I will sometimes eat them after a workout. I added sliced almonds & diced pecans (in lieu of the sesame seeds and raisins), added a scoop of chocolate protein powder (optional), and rather than melting choc chips, I just mixed about 6 ounce of mini choc chips in before baking. I bake 15-20 min and they are done! Thanks for the great foundational recipe!

Mine fell apart when i tried to cut them up. Next time ill try adding some apple sauce or banana as a binder. The flavor is good though.

We really like these... I chose this recipe because it doesn't have any flour in it, which many other granola bar recipes did have. I used agave nectar instead of honey and chopped walnuts and pecans instead of sesame seeds since that's what I had on hand, and it turned out good. These were a little crumbly, but had great flavor. I mixed about 3/4 of the chocolate chips in and spread the rest on top. Yum! I'm making again right now!

Incredibly awesome! I have made the "Playgroup Granola Bars" from this website for a few years now, and while we liked them, they were always a little too dry and crunchy for our tastes, and a few were always left to get moldy instead of eaten, which was a big waste. I didn't have oat bran, so I upped the flax to 1/2 c. or so, and I ground it in a coffee grinder (you have to grind flax to get the nutrients from it). I buy sesame seeds in bulk, so I dry toasted my own in a skillet till they started making a "pop" noise. I was out of raisins and only had crunchy peanut butter on hand. My only other change was that I bought peanut butter/chocolate swirl chips in the baking aisle and just threw them in with the rest of the ingredients, rather than coating the top with chocolate. I wanted something my hubby could take on the go with him, leave in the car, etc. without melting all over everything. All that said, I am still stuffed from dinner, but I wander over to the counter every 10-15 minutes to snitch another crumb because these are just so good. My boys are going to love these, and I won't return to the other recipe ever again (sorry ol' Playgroup! You were a faithful friend... till now). I love all the healthy grains, and that my boys are getting some good protein and fats from REAL butter and peanut butter. Easily edited to incorporate any of our favorite dried fruits or grains - we will be making many variations of these!

I used this recipe for my first time making granola/energy bars and they came out great. I made quite a few changes, such as substituting the raisins with chopped dates, currants, and adding broken-up pretzel sticks to give the bars a little crunch. I read mentions from a few reviews that the bars were too soft and unmanageable, so in response to that I made sure that the mixture was well-pressed in the pan. I also left the bars in to cook for longer than the recipe called for, about 25 mins, and this hardened them quite a bit. Still chewy, intact, and moist enough. Thanks for a great recipe! For now on, I will be making my own bars rather than buying them from the store!

My daughter (2yo) and I LOVED these! I halved the recipe and used different seeds and nuts from the store. I skipped the butter and used two ripe bananas and an egg yolk. I only used a small amount of chocolate chips. Instead of honey, I used agave. All the seeds/nuts were chopped. My bars weren't crumbly, they were more like a cookie. I'll keep making these all the time! You don't really need that much chocolate, btw.

We used 3.5 C oats, 1.25 C 10 grain cereal (germ, bran, flax, etc) and .75 C raisins plus 1.5 C peanut butter and 1 C honey and 1 T cinnamon. Healthy and compared to other high-end bars, inexpensive!

Wow! These are great! I didn't have honey, so I used coconut nectar. I was out of wheat germ, so I used extra oat bran. I added a tablespoons of chia seeds. I used chunky peanut butter, and it's good. These bars will be nice to have on the hiking trail. Thanks, Rathbun!

A MUCH easier and quicker way to make granola bars over my other favorite recipe--bird seed energy bars. I ran out of peanut butter so I used honey, and I am SO glad that I did. I couldn't imagine using that much peanut butter. Also, you will definitely want some tea or coffee to eat with this. Perfect for the drive into work.

I used 1 cup of almond butter and half a cup of peanut butter. No wheat germ, I added 1/3 cup of shredded coconut and 1 tbs of chia seeds. I also ground the flax seeds.

Delicious recipe! I didn't have all the stuff, so tweaked it a bit. I used pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, and flax seed. I also didn't have butter, so I used oil. The second time through I tweaked it more to create a still healthier snack. The original was sweet more like a dessert, so I cut the honey to a 1/2 cup, and changed the butter to all applesauce. Then I mixed in a few chocolate chips into the batter, rather than spreading more on top. Delicious recipe!

I changed this up to my tastes and based on what I had on hand. Did not use raisins, wheat germ, honey, butter or chocolate chips. I added 1/2 c. ground flax, 1tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp of cloves, 1tbl cinnamon, 1/2 c apple sauce, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1 tbl molasses and canola oil instead of the butter. I ended up using my hands to mix this up. This is a very forgiving recipe. I didn't measure most of the ingredients. The sunflower seeds were toasted unsalted and the sesame seeds I used were not toasted. Since I used the sugar and not the honey, I added the applesauce for the moisture.

Five stars exactly as written. Thank you RATHBUN. To adapt for a friend who needed gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, I left out the wheat germ, used oats and oat bran from a gluten-free facility, substituted tahini for peanut butter, added almonds and applesauce, and cut the honey in half. Melted a soy-free dark chocolate bar for the topping. My friend, my husband, and I all loved it.

Great recipe--very filling and delicious! I substituted chocolate and white chips for the raisins because I made them for someone who doesn't like raisins, and they were amazing. I've since made them with blueberry-flavored dried cranberries with white chocolate on top, and I can't wait to try them. They're the perfect snack.

Super tasting, filling, healthy snack. Freezes well.

Delicious! I don't cover them with chocolate. They are still good.

I followed the suggestion of one reviewer and mixed the chocolate chips in with the other ingredients. I cut them into pieces of different sizes and wrapped each individually in cling wrap paper. When one of the family is in a rush (overslept or just need something quick before they run out the door) they choose whatever size fills the bill and put it in a purse or jacket pocket to eat on the way. Great to pack along for afternoon energy boost. Easy to bring along on the sailboat.

Very good flavor, but I agree that they are a bit on the crumbly side. They're still worth it, but next time I'll try adding a banana as a binder, as suggested. The kids LOVE them!

Wonderful tasting for how healthy they are! You'd never taste that I used olive oil for the butter!

my first attempt at making granola bars and i didn't enjoy making this one. it's way too crumbly and i ended up having a lot of granola instead. taste is good but a little too peanut buttery for me

SOOO GOOD!! I couldn't stop eatng it before I cooked it!! I did change it a little because I didn't have wheat germ or oat bran on hand. I added an extra half cup of oatmeal and increased the flax to a half cup. Really really good!! Thanks!!

Kind of expensive once you get all of the ingredients, but SO worth it!!!!!!!

Great base to add your favorites! I included dried blueberries, craisins, almonds, upped the flax, used part steel cut oat for more texture, vanilla, wheat bran, chai seeds and some coconut. LOVE these! Made a batch of a different recipe on here...not as good as these! Thank you!

What an awesome recipe!!! My son is peanut allergic so instead of peanut butter I cooked about 2-3 cups of dates in water on the stove until a mushy consistency, then cooled it before mixing with the other ingredients. I'll never buy granola bars again!!!!!

I did as Mel and put the chocolate chips in with the rest of the mix. This is a soft granola bar and seems to fall apart some. I had to use chunky peanut butter and wheat bran since that's what I had on hand. The flavor is good but seemed a bit on the salty side for me, next time I will not put in the salt. I will try this again.

Other reviews seemed to indicate that crumbliness was a problem, so I melted chocolate with the butter and mixed it in with everything else. This seemed to bind it all together.

Made these to add some fiber to my diet. I did have to substitue a little, but i thought the flavor was great, and great crunchy texture with the seeds. The flax seed i had was ground, i used wheat bran instead of oat bran, and i didn't have any wheat germ so i used quinoa flakes (the kind you add water to for instant cereal). I also just sprinkled the choco chips on top, let them melt a little and then smeared them. Very tasty, my only complaint was how crumbly they are. Very messy. But this could be from the quinoa flakes that would have sucked up some moisture. Curious if anyone else had a crumbly problem. All in all, i'd make these again, maybe add a dab of applesauce for moisture. And my 6 year old loved them and ate one with his Pops this morning!

Just made these! They are really good, except there is too much cinnamon for us. Next time, I will cut the cinnamon to 1 tsp. Otherwise, they are awesome!

These are more Daley than other granola bars, which is what I wanted, but they are still pretty heavy feeling. Have good staying power in terms of sticking to your ribs. I used whole wheat flour and halved the honey. I also used 1/4 cup oil and a cup of applesauce. Next time I think I'd use a cookie sheet so they are a little thinner.

Spectacular!!!

Like most of the reviews i made changes.oatmeal,flax meal,buckwheat flour,cashews,ground raw almonds,pecans,sunflowerseeds,cinnamon,ginger,hemp oil,honey peanutbutter,chopped up a 85% caco dark chocolate bar,cocoa powder,i went organic on what i could,mixed together and added applesause to add moisture , didnt really measure anything just had fun with what i had.

I made these bars for the fist time and my husband and I both loved them. The only thing that I did differently was to substitute the raisins for almonds. Neither one of us like raisins and we thought that the almonds would give them a good crunch, which it did. The only thing that I will change for next time is to leave them in the oven longer probably 25-30 minutes. We will definitly be using this recipe and not buying store bought. Great breakfast and snack when you are on the go.

These are so dense, nutritionally! Cut them small. I didn't have enough peanut butter so I used half peanut butter and half tahini; didn't have the oat bran so I left it out; used dry roasted peanuts instead of sunflower seeds. Overall they came out really well, although a bit more sticky due to the tahini. Very good. We're freezing half of them and individually wrapped the rest in wax paper and are keeping them in the fridge. Very good.

We really like these bars. Next time I'm gong to try dried blueberries and a bit of white chocolate instead of the raisins and choc. chips. I bought crushed flax seed at the store for this go 'round. My daughter said she really likes them, and they are "really filling".

Delicious homemade snack/quick breakfast. Thanks for the recipe.

Very yummy. I didn't have wheat germ, oat bran, or flax seeds, so I added extra sunflower seeds and oats. It still was delicious. I also added some cracked wheat, but that was a bad idea -- it's too hard. I'm not sure what I was thinking there. Anyway, it's a great recipe that I will definitely use again!

BOY OH BOY ARE THESE YUMMY!! I HAD TO IMPROVISE A BIT TO USE WHAT I HAD ON HAND! I USED SUGAR FREE MAPLE SYRUP INSTEAD OF HONEY WHEAT BRAN INSTEAD OAT BRAN I ALSO THREW IN ABOUT 1/2 CUP OF GRANOLA CEREAL AND INSTEAD OF SEASAME SEEDS I ADDED PEANUTS AND CRANBERRY'S INSTEAD OF RAISINS...LOL NOTING LIKE CHANGING THE WHOLE RECIPE GEEZ SORRY!! I DO PLAN ON MAKING THESE AS WRITTEN WHEN I GET ALL THE CORRECT INGREDIENTS!! THESE BARS ARE MARVELOUS! THANK YOU!

I warmed the honey and butter and added chocolate chips to the mix which melted with the heat of the honey and butter when it was mixed. Really yummy. Secondly as much as I like sesame I think I will cut back on the amount next time I make these.

VERY yummy!

great recipe, also extremely easy to make, adding a bit of coconut or some pumpkin seeds is a nice add on

WOW! I have to say, THESE ARE FANTASTIC! I used steel cut oats because it was what I had and because others warned about the sweetness, cut the honey to 3/4 c and used a cup of peanut butter. I did however, have a problem with them falling apart(due to decrease in honey and peanut butter?maybe?) but the TASTE IS UNREAL! Totally satisfied my sweet tooth :) Thank you for sharing your recipe! I loved it!

Easy peasy...fun to change and make it "unique" for each palate in the house. One kid likes nuts fruit, and seeds, the other only likes seeds and dried cherries.

Very well received. However the instructions do not include the sesame seeds noted in the ingredients section. They probably go in step 2. I just let the chocolate chips melt on top of the baked bars and spread. Much easier.

We liked this very much. I will add some nuts next time as I like the crunch. It makes a generous helping so it will feed hungry kids who want to snack. I keep them in the fridge.

Great recipe! I changed a few things based on what I did have on hand. The ground flax-seed is ideal (as others have mentioned). I didn't have sesame seeds,wheat germ, or oat bran but I added everything else. I don't usually buy instant oats but they worked perfectly with this recipe because of the texture. I also mixed the chocolate in and I added some goji berries and cranberries. I also added crushed almonds and crushed pecans for more crunch and protein. I also choose the peanut butter-chocolate morsels for this too. These bars were too good! I had to be careful and eat one a day because of the calorie amount. I froze half and when the refrigerated ones ran out, I replaced them from the ones in the freezer (I also grabbed the ones from the freezer occasionally and put it in my lunch pail for work...delicious by lunch time).

I love these bars! I've already made them 3 times. I do leave out the raisins and sesame seeds - mostly because I didn't have them on hand the first time and they tasted great without them. For the chocolate chips, I use only a handful and just mixed them into the other ingredients, I think the bars would be too messy with the chocolate on top. Make sure they are completely cool before cutting them or they will fall apart.

Tastes really rich but healthy and very filling. These are a bit too seedy for me so next time I’ll leave out or decrease the seeds and replace them with either more oatmeal or raisins. Some fell apart and crumbled when I tried to cut them. I’ll add these crumbs to another recipe or use them for a topping on brownies. These made a lot and since a small piece is so filling I’ll cut the recipe in half next time.

It crumbled really easily and was difficult to get out of the pan. I didn't end up using the chocolate chips because it was midnight and I was really tired. The tast was good, but needed a touch of sweetness so next time I will definitly use the chocolate chips. I'm a beginner cook so I'm not sure what to use to help it "stick" better, but the taste is good and I will try some of the other tips for the stickiness. The sheriff's deputy's I made them for loved them so that's all that matters

totally winged it without wheat germ and I used Agave syrup instead (sometimes a mix with honey), added in whatever I had in the kitchen pantry...adding more PB / Agave for the binder. Each time i make it's different - by choice - and each time it turns out great