Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Chocolate chip granola bars are an essential snack to have on hand for kids and the kid at heart! They’re easy to make at home with pantry ingredients.
If you have kids, you’ve probably purchased your fair share of snacks like Chex mix, popcorn, and especially granola bars.
These snacks are the ideal for busy families and hungry kids. Perfectly portable, full of whole grain oats to help fill you up, and often topped with sweet coatings or candies — what’s not to love?
Making granola bars at home is super easy. With just a little bit of cooking time you’ll end up with a perfectly chewy, satisfying snack.
Why make homemade granola bars?
Here’s just a few reasons to try this recipe.
- Minimal ingredients – These snack bars only have 7 ingredients, and you might even already have everything in the pantry.
- Easy method – The hardest part of this recipe is melting the butter and sugar together. If you’ve ever made krispie treats, you can make these!
- Family friendly – Adults and kids alike will love snacking on these bars. And, they’re easy enough to make that you can include the kids in the preparation.
- Customizable – Don’t like chocolate? Swap in peanut butter chips, coconut, or chopped nuts. This recipe is also easily doubled for even more bars!
Ingredients
To make this recipe, you’ll need just a few ingredients.
Oats
Make sure you use old-fashioned oats for this recipe. They are also sometimes labeled as rolled oats.
You don’t want to use quick oats, which are chopped oats.
We’re going to toast the oats in the oven just to give them a little bit of extra flavor.
Honey
In order to make the granola bars stick together but not be too hard, we use a mix of two kinds of sweetener. Different kinds of honey have different flavors, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand. I stick with a standard clover honey.
Brown Sugar
Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar will work for this recipe. It just depends on what kind of flavor you prefer!
Butter
You can use either salted butter or unsalted butter. I tend to use salted butter because we always have it on hand!
Vanilla
Use pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Vanilla bean paste will have a stronger flavor, but you can swap it 1 for 1 with vanilla extract.
Salt
You just need a little bit of salt for this recipe. I like to use fine sea salt. If you’re using salted butter, you can omit the additional salt, if you prefer.
Mini Chocolate Chips
What would chocolate chip granola bars be without chocolate chips? Mini chocolate chips are perfect because they give you just a little bit of chocolate in each bite.
You can always use regular chocolate chips if you like, or try milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet.
How to make granola bars
First, preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×9 square baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
While these granola bars are not baked, we’re going to toast the oats to bring out their nutty flavor.
Spread the oats on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes. Let cool while you continue with the recipe.
In a small saucepan, melt together the honey, brown sugar, and butter over medium heat. Stir often to help everything melt and blend together.
Let it come to a bubble, then remove from the heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Let cool slightly so that it is still pourable but not hot.
Transfer the oats to a large bowl and pour in sugar mixture. Stir well to coat completely.
Stir in half of the chocolate chips. They might melt, but that’s OK!
Scoop the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spray a spatula or wax paper with nonstick spray and press mixture firmly and evenly into the pan.
Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top of bars and press down gently to adhere. Cover pan and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Once the bars have set, cut into individual servings and store in an airtight container.
Storage tips
Homemade granola bars will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 1 week. Room temperature is best for storing as the granola bars will stay perfectly chewy.
For longer storage, keep them in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
You can also freeze granola bars. Wrap them individually in waxed paper and tuck them into a freezer-safe container.
When you want to eat them, simply remove from the freezer and let warm to room temperature. You can also tuck them into lunch bags in the morning and they’ll be perfect for eating by lunchtime!
Chocolate chip granola bars can be frozen for up to 2 months.
These chewy granola bars are a hit at my house, and they will be at yours too. Happy snacking!
Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips divided use
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×9 baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside. Spread oats on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes. Let cool.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, honey, and brown sugar. Cook, stirring often, until butter has melted completely and bubbles start to form around the edges. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Let cool slightly.
- Transfer oats to a large bowl. Pour over cooled sugar mixture and stir well to completely coat oats. Stir in half of the chocolate chips (they may melt; that's OK).
- Scoop mixture into prepared baking pan and press firmly and evenly to the edges. Add remaining chocolate chips and press gently to adhere.
- Cover pan and chill for 2 hours, or until set. Once set, cut into portions and store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate based on online calculators and provided as a courtesy. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guideline only.
