Chewy Honey-Nut & Fruit Granola Bars
11×7 pan makes 12 bars; 13×9 makes 20 thinner bars
Ingredients
- 1½ cups old-fashioned oats
- 2 cups unsweetened puffed wheat cereal
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
- ¼ cup golden raisins (or other dried fruit)
- ¼ cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips (prefereably semi-sweet)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- ⅔ cup honey
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon water
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare baking pan (11×7 or 13×9) with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- In a medium-size bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients. In a smaller bowl, combine the honey, melted butter, vanilla extract, corn syrup and water. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and thouroughly combine; note that the batter will be sticky.
- Press batter into a prepared baking pan. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until set and the top and edges are lightly browned.
- Cool completely on a wire rack. When it is completely cool, cut into even-sized bars.
- Store in an airtight container. © Images & content: Cristina A-Moore for TeenieCakes.com.
Teenie Notes
- Use your favorite dried fruits in this granola bar recipe (sour cherries, blueberries, apricots, dried apples, etc.)
- Another crunchy and tasty variation: Using either sliced or slightly chopped up almonds in place of the toasted walnuts.
- When pressing into baking pan, it helps to wet your fingertips during the process.
- Let it cool completely before cutting into bars. If you try to cut it when it’s warm, it will be crumbly and result in broken bits.
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