School is around the corner here in the Nonahood. This month, I wanted to share a homemade recipe for classic Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars. It’s a recipe you can make quickly on a Sunday before the school week starts, and if you’re feeling up to getting your children involved in the kitchen, they can even help, too!
Parents, you’ll want to do the first step and then let the kids add in the dry ingredients like the quick-cooking oats, Rice Krispies cereal, and ground flaxseed. This is when you put them to work and let them work on building their muscle mass as they stir the oat mixture. Then, together you can pour the mixture into a 9”x12” aluminum foil-lined baking dish. Help them by patting down the mixture firmly with a rubber spatula. Then, let them sprinkle on the mini chocolate chips. Okay, and maybe let them eat a few, too! These Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are also a great snack to make for school lunchboxes. Make them on the weekend, wrap them individually in parchment paper, and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Then, when it’s time to pack lunches, just pull out the homemade Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars.
You also can add in sliced almonds or dried fruit to the granola bars. The sky is the limit as to what you can put in them. Learn the rules of your school when packing food for your kiddos. Nut allergies are very common these days, and some schools ban the use of any nuts in food due to severe allergies. Be the hero at the start of the school year and make my easy recipe for homemade Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars.
Recipe
Yield: 20, Prep Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes, Cook Time: 10 minutes, Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1-3/4 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Directions
In a large pot, melt the butter, brown sugar and honey on medium-high heat, mixing constantly, until it’s boiling. Lower the heat to low and continue to stir for 3-5 minutes until the mixture thickens and has the consistency of caramel sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
Mix in the quick-cooking oats, Rice Krispies cereal and ground flaxseed, and mix until fully combined.
Line a 9×12 baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with coconut oil cooking spray. Then, transfer the oat mixture to the pan. Press firmly with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips on top; press down again until the oats are tightly compacted. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Once the bars are cool, remove from the refrigerator. Use the foil overhang to transfer the granola bars to a cutting board. Use a sharp knife and cut into 18 rectangles. Wrap each bar with a tiny sheet of parchment paper. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Note: You can add in 1/2 cup of sliced almonds into the oat mixture or dried fruit of your choice.
