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Home » Blog » Appetizer and Snack Recipes » Homemade Granola Bars

Homemade Granola Bars

Cathy Roma Published: Oct 6, 2018

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Starving kids raiding the snack cabinet after school? These homemade granola bars will satisfy their cravings with a toasty mix of coconut, pecans, and chocolate. Chewy, chocolatey bliss!

Homemade chocolate coconut pecan granola bars on plate with pecans scattered around.

It’s just past 3 pm and your kids come bounding in the door, tossing aside backpacks, shirking off jackets, and kicking off shoes. They make a beeline for the kitchen and throw open the snack cabinet doors scouring the shelves for something to eat.

They resemble the cast of Survivor, looking like food-deprived scavengers searching for something carby and filling to squelch the rumbling in their bellies. Instead of the normal boxes of processed crackers and bars, how about surprising them with homemade granola bars? Chewy and satisfying, sweet and toasty.

Homemade granola bars are surprisingly easy to make and immensely versatile. My version is packed with my boys’ favorite flavors…pecans, coconut, and chocolate; but dried fruit, seeds, and nuts can easily be interchanged. The bars keep for a few days in an airtight container on the counter, or for several weeks in the freezer.

Let’s make Homemade Granola Bars

Step by step process of making homemade chocolate coconut pecan granola bars. Combine the oats, nuts and coconut on a sheet tray (1), toast in the oven (2), stir in the flax seeds (3).

  1. Mix the oats, pecans, and coconut on a lined baking sheet.
  2. Toast in a 350 degree oven for about 20 mins, stirring occasionally.
  3. When the mixture is toasted and golden, add the flax seeds.Step by step process of making homemade chocolate coconut pecan granola bars. Heating the oil/butter/sugar (4), Mixing the toasted oats with the syrup (5), adding the chocolate (6), the mixture pressed into a pan and baked (7)
  4. While the oat mixture toasts, make the syrup. Heat the oil, butter, sugar, maple syrup, salt and vanilla in saucepan until fully dissolved.
  5. Combine the oat mixture and syrup.
  6. Add the chopped chocolate to the oat mixture.
  7. Press into the lined pan, press firmly and chill at least 2 hours. Remove from the pan using the overhanging parchment as “handles”.

Tips for success

  • Parchment paper is my secret weapon for making homemade granola bars. Take the time to carefully line the baking pan that you press the granola mixture into before chilling. The overhanging parchment will help you easily remove the granola from the pan before cutting it into bars.
  • Make this recipe your own by swapping equal amounts dried fruit or nuts for the chocolate pecans. Some tasty variations could include almond/dried cranberry; peanut/raisin; walnut/dried dates.
  • Don’t have coconut oil in your pantry? Swap extra virgin olive oil or double the butter.

Homemade chocolate coconut pecan granola bars on plate with pecans scattered around.

Still hungry?

Make a batch of my homemade granola. So good over yogurt, oatmeal, or even by the handful!

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Close up of homemade chocolate coconut pecan granola bars on plate with pecans scattered around.
Print
Homemade Granola Bars
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Chilling time
2 hrs
Total Time
35 mins
 

Starving kids raiding the snack cabinet after school? These homemade granola bars will satisfy their cravings with a toasty mix of coconut, pecans, and chocolate. Chewy, chocolatey bliss!

Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate coconut pecan granola bars, homemade granola bars
Servings: 16 bars
Calories: 350 kcal
Author: Cathy Roma | What Should I Make For...
Ingredients
  • 4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup pecans, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup real maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/3 cup flax seeds
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Grease a 13x9 inch baking pan and line it with parchment, on the bottom and up the sides, allowing the paper to hang over the edges so you can easily remove the granola once it is set. Set aside.

  2. Mix the rolled oats, pecans, and coconut flakes in a large bowl and pour onto the prepared baking sheet. Evenly spread out on the baking sheet and bake for 20 mins, stirring frequently.

  3. While the oat mixture toasts, combine the dark brown sugar, maple syrup, coconut oil, butter, vanilla, and sea salt in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and stir until fully dissolved.

  4. When the oat mixture is toasted, remove it from the oven and add the flax seeds. 

  5. Combine the oat mixture and sugar mixture in a large bowl, stirring well. Add 2/3 cup chocolate chips and spread in the prepared pan evenly. 

  6. Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup chocolate chips over the top and firmly tamp down the granola in an even layer. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to cool thoroughly. 

  7. Once cooled, carefully remove the granola from the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into 16 rectangle bars. Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They will keep for weeks in the freezer, wrapped.

Recipe Notes
  • Parchment paper is my secret weapon for making homemade granola bars. Take the time to carefully line the baking pan that you press the granola mixture into before chilling. The overhanging parchment will help you easily remove the granola from the pan before cutting it into bars.
  • Make this recipe your own by swapping equal amounts dried fruit or nuts for the chocolate pecans. Some tasty variations could include almond/dried cranberry; peanut/raisin; walnut/dried dates.
  • Don't have coconut oil in your pantry? Swap extra virgin olive oil or double the butter.
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Granola Bars
Amount Per Serving
Calories 350 Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Cholesterol 8mg3%
Sodium 306mg13%
Potassium 254mg7%
Carbohydrates 39g13%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 20g22%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 100IU2%
Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
Calcium 53mg5%
Iron 2.1mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Appetizer and Snack Recipes, Recipe chocolate, coconut, granola, snacks, pecan, homemade granola bars, granola bars, after school

About Cathy Roma

My food philosophy is simple: everything in moderation. Sweet, savory, healthy, decadent…food, like life, is all about balance. I rely on my background as a trained chef/mom to create family-friendly recipes that will inspire you to cook, not complicate your life.

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HEY THERE, I’M CATHY.

My food philosophy is simple: everything in moderation. Sweet, savory, healthy, decadent…food, like life, is all about balance. I rely on my background as a trained chef/mom to create family-friendly recipes that will inspire you to cook, not complicate your life.

Learn More about Cathy

Subscribe now to receive my exclusive guide of How to Stock a Pantry delivered straight to your inbox!

Join the What Should I Make For... Community to learn what to cook to when to achieve a happier, more balanced life.

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