chewy granola bars

[Rikki]

These are awesome! I am using them as my pre-workout snack!

With the applesauce do you not use as much banana? I am amazed how well they stick together! I just used banana and oats, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg and they turned out great... Next time I think I will try some blueberries or maybe some cocoa nibs!

[lfwfv]

These are awesome! I am using them as my pre-workout snack!

With the applesauce do you not use as much banana? I am amazed how well they stick together! I just used banana and oats, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg and they turned out great... Next time I think I will try some blueberries or maybe some cocoa nibs!

No, I just add the applesauce in addition to everything else. They're very forgiving. My husband says they are just extra moist and "well, just good" when I add the applesauce.

[Jubilee]

Bump.

I wanted to bump this back to the first page since I was looking for the recipe to make some snacks for a weekend road trip.

Thanks for the recipe Lfwfv!

[marmoset]

I just found this recipe and am very excited to make it. It made me think of something, though, that I wanted to share. I find McDougalling to be very empowering, and this granola bar recipe is a great example of that. I think too often we assume that we have to buy something, or have someone else make it, or we don't even think about how something gets made, or where it comes from and what it takes to get it to us so we can consume it. I think it's an important lesson to take elsewhere in our lives -- sometimes the simplest thing, the homemade thing, is the best, because it meets our needs at a much lower cost (financially, environmentally, health-wise, etc.) and shows us how much power we have. Store-bought granola bars are expensive (financially), they are individually wrapped and then packaged in cardboard, produced and shipped halfway around the world in some cases (environmentally expensive), and often not very healthy (high costs to our health). This granola bar recipe is probably very cheap to make (esp. if rolled oats are purchased in bulk), packaging-free, "locally produced", and healthy. A perfect solution.

[frozenveg]

Wow, marmoset, that is a great observation! I wholeheartedly agree. I don't know what happened to my generation--back when we were ALL "crunchy-granola-suite" hippies, we were really into making all our own stuff and minimizing waste as much as possible. I guess many of us became working moms and sacrificed to convenience. I sure did, for a while...

[jamietwo]

Thank you SO much for this recipe! I added some calorie dense ingredients (1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, and as a special treat 1/8 cup gf & vegan choc chips) for my super-thin, super-active child. He LOVED them! They smelled great, but alas, I didn't try them since I'm on an elimination diet!

[nelliec]

Thank you SO much for this recipe! I added some calorie dense ingredients (1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, and as a special treat 1/8 cup gf & vegan choc chips) for my super-thin, super-active child. He LOVED them! They smelled great, but alas, I didn't try them since I'm on an elimination diet!

I'm going to be making a batch of these to take along on a trip, and I also add some more calorie-dense ingredients: dried fruit (mango, pineapple, etc.), maybe a few nuts this time, and I absolutely love them! In fact, since I'm on MWL most of the time, I had to quit making them except for special times. They are TOO good!

Thanks so very, very much for the original post/recipe for these bars, and for keeping the thread active. They are too good to get lost way back there somewhere.

NellieC

[lfwfv]

Yeah! So glad others are enjoying these. I make them every week for my husband.

[dianne]

I love granola bars and I think they are healthier to eat as snacks than burgers or dough nuts. I haven't tried making one yet but I will try to make this granola bar recipe you posted. It seems very yummy.

[Dendra]

I make similar granola bars, but I have used other fruit to help bind them. I haven't used bananas yet (sounds yummy), but I have used apricots (dried, reconstituted, then blended). This fall I'm planning to try persimmons as the glue. Prunes, or any 'sticky' fruit would probably work too.

I also spread mine on parchment or silicone, then press it down, bake, then cut while still warm.

I like mine fairly dry so after cutting, I'll separate them on a cookie sheet and return them to the still warm, but 'off' oven and let them dry further.

I use oats and other dried fruits (blueberry, cranberry), and -back in the day-, chopped nuts, seeds, wheat germ, and anything else that hit my fancy.

Better than anything you can buy.

[ruupyet]

I asked ways to use up some canned pumpkin a few weeks ago and someone posted an oatmeal pumpkin recipe. I adapted that recipe into granola bars and they have been a huge hit. My husband takes one to work everyday and my oldest grabs one on her way out the door in the morning when she is running late (which is often).

I don't measure exactly but I use about
6 - 7 cups of oatmeal
1 - 2 bananas (if my bananas aren't super ripe and sweet, I will toss in a few dates)
1 can of pumpkin
1 tsp. each of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice
Enough applesauce to make it stick together

I press it into an 8 x 8 pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

[fulenn]

This looks like a must-try for the kids to eat for after-school snacks. Has anyone here tried these?

Fulenn

[eri]

I used to make them every week. They remind me of baked oatmeal, but better tasting.

[Lesliec1]

This looks like a must-try for the kids to eat for after-school snacks. Has anyone here tried these?

I made them - the cherry and banana version. Ate too many too fast (so I liked them.) They're not like store-bought in taste, in case that matters. Meaning, I wouldn't be able to get any SAD eaters to try them.

[LauraA]

Wow, thanks for bringing this back to the top - looks great! I just ordered the pan. Grandkids (and I) will love this for a snack!