Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Chewy Granola Energy Bars


So a little while ago a blogged about Peanut Butter Sesame Granola Bars.
They got me to thinking about my regular granola bar which I hadn't made in a while. My regular granola bar is more of an energy bar (hence the title) than a simple, healthy granola bar.
Don't get me wrong, these are full of good stuff as well..... they are just a bit more of a "treat" than the Peanut Butter Sesame Granola Bars.
These are great for taking hiking and to the beach, etc... (as are the sesame ones).
These ones also require turning on the oven so are a tad more troublesome to throw together.
But...not that troublesome...


Chewy Granola Energy Bars

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 cup Rice Krispies
1/4 cup coconut
1/2 cup mini M & M candies
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp ground flax
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 9 X 9 inch square pan with cooking spray
In a large bowl, add all ingredients and mix together until well combined.
Press into prepared pan. Bake 18 - 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Cool 5 minutes and then score into bars. Let it set completely and then cut into bars.


For thinner bars, press into 9 X 13 pan and adjust baking time accordingly.
Important note - DO SCORE THEM!!
If you do NOT score them they will crumble when you try to cut them.

The great thing about these is you can change up the mix ins to suit your tastes.
ie: Some different mix ideas: chocolate or butterscotch chips, pecans, walnuts, chopped caramels, craisins / raisins, dried fruit, etc...
The nutritional info (according to Fitday) is: calories per bar - 215, fat - 12, carbs - 24, protein - 6.
That's dividing into 16 bars.
The Peanut Butter Sesame Granola Bars were 184 calories per bar (divided into 16) so, caloriewise, these aren't really that much worse.

So, which granola bar do I prefer?
Hmmm....
I think I would have to go with these ones for taste. They are kind of like an oatmeal peanut butter cookie.
In terms of making them though..... the sesame ones are a lot easier. No cooking involved!
Texture wise..... it's a tie. they are so different it's not really fair to compare them.
Let us know what you think!

Check out Six Sister's Stuff and Carole's Chatter for some fun links!

92 comments:

  1. These look so good and sound pretty healthy! :) We are so glad that you linked up to our "Strut Your Stuff Saturday". Thanks for coming and we hope you'll come back next week! -The Sisters

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    1. This is a family favorite now! Thanks for sharing!!

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  2. These sound really good, I'm going to try them. Thanks

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    1. Thank you for stopping by! Let us know how they turned out for you :)

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  3. These are good can you tell me how much fiber is in them? Trying to figure the weight watchers points value. Thank you!!!

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    1. The only thing I can tell you about fiber is that the whole recipe contains 153% of daily recommended fiber. Therefore - 1/16th, or one serving, would contain 9.6% of your daily recommended fiber. (This is according to Fitday) I hope this helps.....

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  4. What does score the bars mean?

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    1. Scoring is making a shallow cut into the surface of the bar with a sharp knife. You do not cut all the way through the bar - just about half way or so. It marks where you you will be cutting the bar as soon as it cools. :)

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  5. So do you think you could substitute something for the coconut, I am allergic to coconut but love making my own granola bars?

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    1. Absolutely.... you could sub in chopped nuts or bran or chopped dried fruit. I even think you could get away with leaving it out of the recipe and not have to add anything in its place. :)

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  6. I made these tonight and they turned out pretty good. I can't wait to do them again with some different variations.

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    1. Glad you liked them! Let us know how the variations turn out! :)

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    2. i just made a variation of these- with chopped almonds, almond butter, chopped dark chocolate, carob chips and agave instead of the honey. it works with whatever you have around the house! thanks for the inspiration.

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  7. Making these right now! I am using peanuts, cashews, pecans, almonds, raisins, cranberries, dried cherries, and chocolate chips as my add-ins. Can't wait to dig in!!

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  8. Now this is something I need to try...much healthier than brownies when I need a little treat. ;)Thanks for the recipe!

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  9. Could you recommend a substitute for the peanuts/peanut butter? I'm allergic to peanuts, but the rest of the recipe sounds great!

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    1. I found this website - http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/baking-with-peanut-butter-alternatives-peanut-allergies/

      It has some good suggestions for peanut butter substitutes!! Hope that helps :)

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  10. found this recipe on pinterest, gonna make them today!!! They look so good in the picture hope mine turn out like that too! :)

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  11. Hi i made these today and they fell apart after cooling. I scored them like you said. They taste great though. ! What did i do wrong??

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    1. Hmmm...Did you change any of the amounts in the recipe? Like less peanut butter, honey, or the egg? Or add more oats, etc? I'm not really sure what happened if you made the recipe as is. Maybe over baked them? Sorry I am not much help :( You could try using a larger egg or a bit more peanut butter and honey next time.....

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  12. I forgot to get rice krispies, would rolled oats work instead? Thanks. Can't wait to try them.

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    1. I don't see why that wouldn't work :)

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    2. It worked wonderful!!! My husband and I both love them and my "scoring" worked!!!! Thanks so much for this recipe and will be looking for others from you and trying. It is so great that I have the time and energy to try new things!!!! THanks again!!!

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    3. Hey!! So did you use the same amount of extra oats as rice krispie substitute, plus the already called for 2 1/2 cups for a total of 3 cups of oats? I just think I'd rather have the nutrition of the oats rather than the krispies!

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  13. I love this recipe! I have used it 3 times this week. The first batch, I added raisins and my family loved them! I have made 2 batches that way and today I substituted 1/2 c of cut up dried apples for mini M&Ms and added a 1/2 Tbsp of ground cinnamon and they are amazing. Thank yo so much for sharing your recipe:)

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  14. So I found this recipe on pinterest and am sooo excited to try it!! It's in my oven as I type! I put m&ms, coconut, pecans, almonds, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and I can't remember everything else, but I am way excited to try these!! Thanks for a fantastic recipe. Oh my does my house smell yummy!

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    1. Yay! Glad you like them. Thank you for stopping by :)

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  15. I made these two days ago, and they were gone the next day - my kids loved them! I followed the recipe as is with te exception of substituting coconut oil for the butter. Delicious! Really good broken up in a bowl of Greek vanilla yogurt. I can't wait to try to sesame seed bars. Thanks for the recipes!

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    1. You're welcome! We are glad you enjoyed them :)

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    2. Yes! I was going to ask about coconut oil - thank you for posting this, can't wait to try them!

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  16. I don't have flax seed but I do have wheat germ. Is there any reason I couldn't sub it?

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  17. How about a really really high calorie version for those of us lifters who are cursed with trying to bulk up? Any ideas for loading up some serious calories in there? I'm sure making some of these like that would be WAY cheaper than buying protein bars or builder bars at the store, those get so expensive... :)

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    1. Hmmm...I'm thinking you could make a peanut butter and honey "frosting" (1/4 c. honey, 1/4 c. butter, softened, 3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
      1 tsp. vanilla - beat together)for the top of the bars and then sprinkle generously with chopped almonds. Almonds have a high caloric value... Hope that is helpful :)

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    2. if you want some extra calories, i recommend macadamia nuts! Super high in calories and oh they are SO good and buttery!

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  18. Trying these tomorrow to take to my kid's preschool teachers during work days! Thanks!

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  19. I have a home daycare and we go through a lot of granola bars. I have made these once with mini M & M's and the kids loved them. I am going to try mini Reeses pieces next time. With so many kids here I don't have much time to bake so when I do I make several batches of things and freeze. Do you know if these will freeze well? I would love to make up several batches at once if I could. Thank You.

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    1. These should freeze just fine. Definitely cut them into bars before freezing though. :)

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  20. They're in the oven right now... :)
    I used everything in your recipe...with homemade peanut butter, can't wait...smells soooo good!!! :)
    Thanks for sharing...

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  21. One of my favorite recipes Ive ever made!

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  22. Holy! One of your favorites? That's awesome! Thank you :)

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  23. They are sooooo good... my family love them and take them to school and to work. Much better than the ones you can buy in the stores :)

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    1. Thank you for your kind words! So glad you enjoyed them :)

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  24. Do you know how many calories they are per serving?

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    1. I'm sorry I never figured out the calories. :/

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    2. Apparently I'm crazy.....I DID figure out the calories! It is listed right in the blog :)

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  25. THese look great, however I am from NS, Canada and our schools are nut free. SO many great 'school' recipes out there but a lot contain nuts, and/or peanut butter. I would love a recipe wihtout :)

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    1. Oooh bummer. I survive on peanut butter. I recently made Chocolate Zucchini Brownies that were healthified that you could try. The recipe includes nuts but you could sub in chocolate or butterscotch chips or just leave them out. Here's the link - http://joandsue.blogspot.ca/2012/09/zucchini-brownie-low-fat.html?showComment=1347764290464

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  26. Oh my! These are incredible. I didn't have coconut so I used craisins. I doubled the recipe and scored as indicated. Then I carefully cut them and lifted them out with a mini spatula into baggies and chilled them. Once chilled, they held together perfectly.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed them :) They really are pretty tasty ;)

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  27. Just made these for my daughter as a surprise for her morning snack...I used peanut butter and chocolate chips since that is her favorite type of granola bar...I snuck one myself and I have to say I will never again buy granola bars...this is so much cheaper than buying the bars and with the supplies I bought I have enough left over to make at least 5 more batches!

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  28. Can I use instant oats? And did you use salted or unsalted butter?

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    1. I don't see why instant oats wouldn't work :) I always use salted butter :)

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  29. If I do them in a 9x13 pan do you know how long I would cook them?

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    1. Hmmm...I don't. Sorry. I would say start checking at about the 10- 12 minute mark and just watch for when they start turning golden brown. :/

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  30. Just got them out of the oven. I used a 9x13 pan and used what you mentioned about 10-12 minutes ( I put mine in for 13 because they still looked so gooey) They are still warm but I couldn't help but taste: SUPER YUMMY! Getting ready to make another batch right now!

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    1. Yay! Glad you liked them. Thank you for letting us know about the timing in a 9 X 13 pan. :)

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  31. I just made these and found them hard to cut without them falling apart (even after scoring) so i put them in the freezer over night and then they were so easy to cut, bag and then put back in the freezer.
    They even taste really good frozen!!
    Thanks for the great recipe :)

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  32. Can you use regular rolled oats??

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    1. I don't see why regular oats wouldn't work just as well! :)

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  33. Would Chi seeds ground work in place of ground Flax seed?

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    1. I don't see why they wouldn't. This recipe is pretty easy to alter. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out for you :)

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  34. I love this recipe! It not only looks attractive but also sounds healthy! I'd like to try to do it right now!

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  35. I love making these granola bars. Using the recipe, and the nutrition facts given I have figured out they are 6 weight watchers points, and when I have a bar and an apple for breakfast I am set til lunch. I can't say that about a lot of bars.

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  36. I have made this recipe probably 4 times now! I LOVE it! The only think I am wondering if there is anyway to make them less crumbly? We pretty much have to eat them with a fork as to not make a mess... either way, delish!

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    1. Hmmm...are you scoring them while they are still warm? That can stop a lot of crumbling.
      If that isn't the problem - I would suggest adding a bit more peanut butter and honey to make them a little "stickier". OR, you could leave out some of the oats. Hope that helps!

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  37. Mine are in the oven right now. I used honey nut cheerios because I didnt have rice crispies and I used cashews instead of peanuts. And I also used wheat germ instead of the flax seed. I put mine in a pampered chef brownie pan that has 12 individual squares (kinda like a muffin tin with squares instead of circles). So we will see how that goes. I am excited because my daughter loves granola bars and they are so expensive. These were super easy to make.

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    1. They are fantastic and the pan worked great! I flipped it over and they popped right out without any trouble. Will definitely beaking this again!

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    2. Thanks for letting us know, Lisa :) So glad you enjoyed them!

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  38. I made these last week and my husband loved them so much he requested them again. He found them to be the perfect snack to carry in his bag when he travels.

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  39. I'm thrilled to try these. I've read all the replies and will take some of their advice/variations into account! One thing...do the flax seeds have to be ground? Can I just add them whole?
    Also, for the rice krispies, I saw one poster say she used extra oats in the place of the cereal. Would it be the same measurement of extra oats as the recipe calls for the cereal making total oats 3 cups?
    And lastly, would it be the same amount of coconut oil as the amount of butter called for?
    Thanks sooooo much, I'm super excited! I plan to start off with dried cranberries, chopped almonds, sunflower seeds, coconut, maybe some golden raisins and maybe dark chocolate chips!

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    1. I have made these 4-5 times now and have always used whole flax seed. When my mom has made them she even left the seeds out. I can't say I can tell any difference either way.

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  40. I made these this past weekend and they're super tastey! Thanks for sharing :)

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  41. I am on my third time making these bars. I have tried various combinations including Almond butter in place of peanut butter, dark chocolate bits in place of the MM's, added pumpkin seeds, cut down on brown sugar...each time they have gotten delicious!

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  42. I threw in a scoop of some chocolate whey protein powder to add a little more protein and a couple of dashes of cinnamon for some extra fat burning power. Normal recipe posted was great too.

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  43. Loving this! I just finished making some and they seem to be crumbling a lot. I saw that only two others have had this issue, so I was wondering what we may have done that messed it up? Does the difference between butter and margerine matter?? I did everything to the T other than I only had margerine.

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  44. These are yummy, but they are super crumbly, and yes, I did score them. I think they might need a bit more of something wet to hold them together. My vote would be honey since they are already quite peanutty. Or maybe a tablespoon or two of molasses. They seem like they would be quite healthy - not much butter. I will definitely try this again with just a bit more liquid. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. You can also try adding less of the oats. Cut back to 2 cups instead of 2 1/2...that might help you too! :)

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  45. These look awesome and I am going to make them tonight, thank you!! Do you know how long they would keep for either in the fridge or frozen? I'm thinking I want to make a triple batch and freeze some. :)

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    1. They freeze very well. I'm sure if they were well covered they would last quite a long time in the freezer.

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  46. I just made these in a 7x11 pan instead of 9x9 (I don't have that size) I got 12 bars out of it. Mine were also super crumbly and I followed the recipe exactly (minus using coconut and flax). Still really chewy and good though! May try using a little less oats and a little more peanut butter next time!

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  47. My husband and kids absolutely love these bars! They won't eat the store bought ones now.

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  48. I love this recipe..i have made these umpteen times for my family we LOVE them..it a weekly request..thank you for sharing!

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  49. The granola bars are looking yummy. please tell me for how many days I can store them?

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