Here’s a slight confession: I really enjoy granola bars. They are packed full of sugar but you can eat them and still tell yourself it was better for you than eating a chocolate bar (even if, in reality, it wasn’t actually better for you.) Anyways. I was always the kind of girl growing up who had a Nature Valley granola bar crushed into a thousand pieces in the bottom of her bag. “Just in case”
Side note: did anyone ever eat the Nature Valley bars that were coated in yogurt? Those were truly delicious.
So I decided to make my own homemade granola bars, having decided that it really couldn’t be that difficult. And you know what? It wasn’t. Because you can make a massive batch all at once and they keep really well, it can actually save you money if you opt for making your own granola bar. Unless you insist on only using gold-dusted nuts or something.
Homemade Granola Bars
Ingredients:
3 cups of oats
2 1/2 tablespoons of coconut oil
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/4 cup of honey
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 cup of almonds
1 cup of seeds and dried fruit (I used a random assortment of seeds plus dried cranberry and dried apricot)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Spread your oats across a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes in the oven. Stir them occasionally to check that none of them are burning. In the meantime, line a dish with baking parchment.
Once your oats are out of the oven, add them into a large bowl alongside your almonds and seeds.
In a pan over low heat, stir together your coconut oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup and honey. Once it’s come together, pour it over your oat-nut mixture and stir it until thoroughly combined and all the ingredients are sticky.
Then pour your mixture into your lined dish and flatten and even it down. Bake it in the oven for around 20 minutes and then leave it to set and cool over night. The next day, slice it into bars and enjoy!
Have you ever made your own granola bars before?
