Recipe: Granola bites

Posted: January 10

I found this recipe from Mrs. Butterworth's in the coupon circular last weekend and immediately cut it out.

I've been wanting to make my own granola bars for a while. But I've also been looking for activities to keep my three-year-old busy in that 90 minutes or so before her big sister gets home from school. I thought making an after school snack for her idol might just do the trick. And this looked easy enough.

These turn out very chewy and sweet bars (or bites, if you want to cut them smaller), When I make them again, I might add some nuts or sunflower seeds to cut down a bit on the sweetness.

With just five ingredients, it really doesn't get much easier than this. My preschooler helped to pour the oatmeal onto the baking sheet; mix up the sugar, syrup and oil slurry before it went on the stove; and pour in the chocolate chips.

Granola Bites from Mrs. Butterworth's

3/4 cup syrup (of course, Mrs. Butterworth's would love you to use their own, but, for full disclosure, I went with Log Cabin).
1/2 cup light brown sugar (I only had dark on hand)
1/4 cup canola oil
3 cups oats
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I had an open bag with about half a cup so I just poured it all in minus the ones my three-year-old gobbled up)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay oats on a baking sheet and toast for 10 to 15 minutes. Add syrup, sugar and oil to a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

In a boil, mix heated syrup mixture and oats until well combined. You'll hear the oats crackle when they hit the mixture, which was pretty exciting for my preschooler. But be careful! It's hot.

Let cool for about 10 to 15 minutes before adding the chocolate chips to the mixture. I let it cool for 15 minutes, but my chips still completely melted, spreading chocolate goodness throughout the bars (which is just fine in my book). Spread it out evenly in an 8x8 pan and place it in the refrigerator to cool for 20 to 25 minutes.

Once it's cool, cut into squares.

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6 Comments

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Thanks for the recipe! Looking forward to trying it especially since it has no nuts which is a requirement due to family nut allergies.

croaswife
January 12, 2013 8:07 p.m.

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We make these but eliminate the high fructose corn syrup with regular ol' maple syrup. I see someone else used honey. Both great alternatives!

elliesmom
January 11, 2013 3:43 p.m.

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These were really good - there was a recipe for them in the coupon section -

marciamal1
January 11, 2013 1:04 p.m.

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It might NC Sunshine ... worth a try.

Thank you for the other recipe PartyOfSix! I'll have to try that one too ...

You know ... I bet you could cut the syrup down to 1/2 a cup. Looking at the allrecipes recipe, it uses just 1/2 cup of corn syrup, along with a 1/2 cup of brown sugar.

Sarah

shall6
January 11, 2013 10:38 a.m.

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Another really good one is http://allrecipes.com/recipe/gobble-up-granola-snacks/detail.aspx . I use honey instead of the corn syrup and throw in a handful of chocolate chips instead of raisins. You really want to mix it well and then press it firmly to get it to bind, but they're so good and easy! I've also added almonds and blueberry craisins (and no choc chips) and liked those too!

PartyOfSix
January 11, 2013 10:28 a.m.

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Thank you for the recipe. I wonder if using Sugar Free syrup would help cut down on the sweetness as well.

NC Sunshine
January 11, 2013 10:03 a.m.

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