Super chewy, soft granola bars loaded with coconut flakes and chocolate chips- super easy and taste amazing!
I was so excited to find a great granola bar recipe online that I could easily adapt to our tastes. I was buying the more expensive granola bars with better ingredients for my kids lunches, and at almost $4 a box this was too much for my budget. These are made at a fraction of the cost. I buy organic oatmeal and unsweetened coconut at my local co-op for a great price and with just a few minutes of time each week, I have homemade granola bars for my kids snacks.
These granola bars are very versatile and can be made with coconut oil or butter, whatever you prefer. You can also experiment and tailor these to your taste, using different add ins like almonds, seeds, other types of chips or dried fruit. Just keep the ratios similar and the sugar, honey and butter or coconut oil the same. My kids love these (so do I) and we all think they are way better than the boxed ones!
I changed the recipe just a bit from the original- I increased the salt and vanilla a bit, tried coconut oil in place of butter and changed the method just a touch. I also used different add ins for this recipe but have also tried and enjoyed the original add ins (almonds, dried fruit and chocolate chips). The coconut oil in place of the butter has worked very well for me but I will have to see how they hold up in a heat wave since coconut oil is liquid when warm! But you can just refrigerate them if they get too soft or use butter instead.
Chewy Coconut Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup flaked coconut can use shredded, I have just used the bigger flakes
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup of coconut oil OR unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt if you only have table salt use 1/4 tsp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp of mini chocolate chips
Instructions
Toast the oats
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place oats on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through, until lightly toasted. If desired, you can also toast the coconut at this time with the oats- just watch carefully as coconut can burn easy. Place the oats and coconut in a large mixing bowl.
For the granola bars
- Prepare an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan by lining it with foil or parchment paper and then lightly grease.
- In a medium saucepan, combine honey, coconut oil OR butter, brown sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until butter melts and bring to a low boil. Allow to boil, while stirring, for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour hot mixture over the oatmeal/coconut mixture in the bowl. Stir until well combined and everything is coated with the sugar/butter mixture.
- Let the mixture sit for about 8 to 10 min, stirring occasionally, before quickly stirring in the 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. The mixture will still be warm but not so hot that the chips completely melt- they will melt a bit which just helps hold bars together.
- Scrape the mixture into your prepared pan then, using a rubber spatula or a lightly greased piece of parchment paper/foil press the mixture firmly into the pan. Take your time here and really press the mixture in so you have cohesive granola bars once cooled and cut. Then spread remaining 2 Tbsp of chocolate chips on top and gently press in. Cover the pan and place in refrigerator until cooled and set, about 2 hours.
- Remove pan from refrigerator and remove granola from pan using the foil/parchment lining. Then gently peel off the parchment paper/foil. Cut into 12 bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. (they can be stored in the fridge but they will be a less chewy texture).
Notes
You can also add 1/2 cup chopped almonds or substitute the almonds for the coconut if desired- just toast the almonds along with the oats.
Just use your imagination and add in whatever you like (other nuts, dried fruit, other flavored chips, or seeds) to make your own creation, just keep the ratios basically the same same. Adapted from Inspiredtaste.net
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All oats areally gluten free. Just so you know 🙂 only thing that contains gluten is wheat.
I know that oats themselves are gluten free, but for people who are super sensitive it’s better to err on the side of caution due to facilities that produce products with wheat. The gluten free ones are less likely to have cross contamination. I only know cause I researched it myself when a friend went gluten free and I saw the gluten free oats. 🙂
Just tried this and they taste very good. I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and coconut oil instead of butter, but otherwise left everything else the same. The only thing though is mine came out REALLY crunchy- too crunchy for my 2 year old. What do you think went wrong or could it be from the coconut sugar for some reason? I might just try leaving them out of the fridge for a bit to see if they soften up.
I have used coconut oil before and they are still really soft but haven’t tried coconut sugar- it may have less moisture than brown sugar but not sure. Leaving them at room temp will definitely make them softer though.
How long can I store these for in an airtight container? 🙂
I personally have stored them for up to a week at room temperature in cooler weather. They do store longer if kept in the refrigerator.
mine don’t last longer than a few days. . they’re gone.. 😉
i used coconut oil (liquid form) and didn’t use any sugar at all since i find it too sweet otherwise, and they turned out perfect! i followed all other ingredients to the dot. will experiment a little next time. come to think of it, I might have added a tablespoon of dark chocolate spread in case the consistency was too liquid.. 🙂 I will give maple syrup a try next time. thanks Amy for a wonderful recipe!
Thank you and that’s great it worked without the added sugar!
Can I use quick cooking oats instead of rolled oats?
I haven’t tried it but I honestly don’t see why they would not work here.
I would like to leave out either the honey or the brown sugar as the choc chips and dried fruits (when i decide to add some) are usually sweet enough for me; and use coconut oil instead of butter. If i keep the honey instead and use coconut oil, will the consistency be too thin and not cohese the mixture?
Both the brown sugar and honey add liquid to the recipe. So I am not sure if it would stick together as well or if it would be too dry. Your best bet would to be to try it out, maybe do a half batch with the substitution and see how it goes. That’s how I get a lot of recipes, is trial and error 🙂 Sorry I don’t have more of a definitive answer.
Delicious! Just made these and added some almonds:)
Thank you! They are great with other add ins too- my youngest son doesn’t like almonds though.
Do you think maple syrup would work for the honey, or would the consistency be too thin? This recipe looks great by the way! 🙂
I think it might need the thicker consistency of the honey to bind it together, but I have been curious myself to try maple syrup. I think it would give a great flavor. Let me know if you give it try!