Yesterday.was.nuts. Almonds… not peanuts 😉
I know I said I was looking forward to getting back into a normal routine after the holidays, but yesterday was not normal — either that or I lost some of my work-related fitness after taking a few weeks off for Christmas vacation. Should have been doing [number] crunches or something. Dang. But I digress.
I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve posted a recipe here on Spoons, and that’s probably because… well… it has been [what feels like] forever. The last one was the holiday cookie energy bites that I posted waaaaaay before Christmas, so I’m well overdue for another — especially since my goal this year is to share more recipes. So… here’s one for granola bars! (how’s that for an intro? 😉 )
And because that picture makes them look kind of puny and insignificant, here are some better ones…
Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about… It almost looks like those one of those fancy glamour shots they take of McDonalds’ Big Macs… Except that when you make these, they actually come out looking like they do in the picture, and not like that sorry excuse for meat, lettuce, and bread that they throw at you and try to pass off as a burger. But I digress.
I’m picky when it comes to my granola bars, and it pains me to say that none of the pre-packaged ones have been able to live up to my standards. Okay, that’s not even close to being true. The reality of the matter is that it pains me to say that I have no idea whether or not the pre-packaged bars would live up to my standards because I can’t eat 99.99% of them — let’s just say that “may contain traces of peanuts” is definitely up there on my list of phrases I hate to hear the most. But, again, I digress. The point is… what? (brain fart). AH! The point is, if I want a bar, I have to make a bar; and when I make a bar, it has to be juuuuuuuuust right.
This means: soft, chewy, dense, chocolatey, nutritious, and filling. In other words, these:
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Soft and Chewy Protein Granola Bars
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups (160 g) quick oats
- 1/2 cup (40 g) vanilla protein powder
- 2 Tbsp (14 g) ground flax
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (64 g) almond butter (or any nut butter)
- 1/4 cup (80 g) honey, or brown rice syrup if vegan
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (60 g) mini chocolate chips (dairy-free if vegan)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare an 8×8 (20x20cm) baking pan by spraying it with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, protein powder, flax, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine almond butter, honey, almond milk, and vanilla. Mix until fully combined. Pour wet mix into dry mix and stir until fully incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour into prepared baking pan. Using a spatula or your hands, spread the mixture evenly in the pan, pressing down firmly.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until edges begin to turn golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 20 minutes before cutting into bars.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
Click here for nutrition facts.
Bars are one of my favourite snacks because of how portable and filling they are. I’m sure there are a lot of great storebought bars out there, but for those of us who have allergies, or who are looking to save some money, homemade bars are the way to go — not only are they a breeze to whip up, but you can customize them to your heart’s content… Not feeling chocolate? Toss in some raisins, dates, or dried cranberries instead. Need a little extra oompf? Add some nuts, seeds, or coconut shreds. The possibilities are endless, and the results are delicious.
Enjoy your Tuesday, friends! And don’t forget to start Thinking Out Loud 😀
Love this recipe! I’ve been snacking on these bars throughout the week and they really ARE filling, dense and chewy. I made half of my bars without the chocolate chips and while both versions were good, I think the chocolate is just too good of a touch to miss out on. I’ll be making these again! Thank you so much for sharing.
I do have one question though – I would like to double, possibly triple the amount of protein powder I use. Would I have to increase the proportions of any of the other ingredients?
I’m so glad you liked them, Michelle! If you wanted to double the protein, I’d probably start by subtracting 1/2 cup of the oats. Add the normal amount of milk, and if the mix feels too dry, add a few splashes more until it looks more like the dough of the original.
Whoops – It’s been a while but I’ve been meaning to update!
I followed your advice and doubled the protein powder to 1 cup, and subtracted 1/2 cup of oats -there was no need to add more milk. It turned out perfectly! In fact, I didn’t even taste the difference. I am SO happy with this recipe, I’ve been making it weekly.
Actually, I’ve been cheating and using sweetened vanilla almond milk… They come out WAY too yummy!
I really appreciate the reply, Amanda. Thanks so much again!
I’m so glad the variations worked, Michelle! Thanks so much for taking the time to check in and let me know – I’m betting others will find it helpful as well!
can you use rolled oats instead of quick oats?
Could you substitute skim milk for the almond milk?
Definitely! Any kind of milk would work.
Just made these and cut them. Mine were a tad on the drier side so not as chewy as they may supposed to be? I used a ground chia and flax blend (I was out of ground flax and would have added chia anyway) and used cacao nibs instead of the chocolate chips. Perhaps the addition of the chia made them drier. They are really good regardles of texture and I’ll definitely make again. My husband also loved them!
Hmm. It definitely could have been the chia seeds, or sometimes even the texture of the nut butter could make a big difference (I always like using the no-stir store-bought kind so that it doesn’t end up too dry). You can always try adding more almond milk and/or a little bit more nut butter to soften them up some more!
I very much like to try making these chewy protein granola bars and wanted to ask if the recipe is available in grams. Thank you
Thank you for a perfect recipe! I followed the recipe exactly and the bars are perfect! I love chewy bars and cookies. I take these to work and they are my snack between breakfast and lunch. My 7 and 5 years old sons love them, too! They have no idea they are eating something that’s good for them. It’s so nice to find a recipe that actually works. Keep them coming, please!
Have you ever used sunflower butter instead of the almond butter? Nut issues…
I definitely have, Cameron! And it works just fine. Another option is a roasted soy nut butter (I love the Wowbutter brand — http://wowbutter.com)
Do you have suggestions on the wet to dry ingredient ratio? And does the amount of oats to the amount of seeds or nuts have a factor in the chewy ness and ability to stay in bar form?
I’ve found the amounts to work the best in the quantity that they’re given in the recipe, Heather. I’ve played around with the ratios before and it definitely affects ht texture of the bars.
Do you use semi sweet or milk chocolate chips?
Do you use semi sweet or milk chocolate chips??
I just use whatever I have on hand, Nicole. Usually it’s semi-sweet.
This recipe looks great! I am cleaning out the pantry of all processed foods and the hardest one to get rid of (for my kids) are the granola bars.
One question, my son is allergic to nuts. Is there a way to make this without the nuts?
Absolutely! You could use either sunflower seed butter or soy nut butter in place of the almond butter, and another non-dairy (or dairy) alternative for the milk. I’ve made these with a roasted soy nut butter many times because I have a peanut allergy as well.
Thanks! I just did some research and found coconut manna should be a good replacement. Appreciate the quick reply. Looking forward to making a batch!
How long do they stay fresh? Could I freeze them? Thinking of making a huge batch to have on hand.
Coconut manna! That actually sounds pretty incredible. I’ve kept mine on hand for up to 2 weeks at a time, but I tend to store them in the fridge after about a week or so. I’ve never tried freezing these particular bars, but I’ve done so with other bars with no problem.
Hi, I used the same recipe but it did not turn out chewy – mine turned out falling apart.
I think I will try making them again with 1/4 cup coconut oil added. Perhaps that will help! 🙂 thanks for the recipe. kp
Thank you for this great recipe. I told my boys, I’m not buying anymore “junk” protein bars. Told them to look up a healthy recipe that looked good, they found this one! We’ve been making these for awhile (boys are 16 and 15). They love them before/after school, competitive sports…anytime. Now their friends are asking for them.
Hey Amanda!
These look fab! Was just wondering if I could leave out the protein powder and expect the same results?
They should be fine without the protein powder, Lisa. If anything, tossing in an extra spoonful or two of oats would help.
Hi Amanda! This looks like the perfect filling energy bar to take to school every day. Is your vanilla protein powder sweetened? I only have unsweetened; should I add any extra sugar / sweetener?
Thanks!
BTW- your banana bread mug cake makes an awesome breakfast 🙂
It’s lightly sweetened with stevia, yes. And depending on how sweet you like things, you could definitely add an extra spoonful or two of honey.
These are just what I’m looking for to use in kids lunch boxes and on the go. Maybe I missed it (?) but do you have any nutritional content info handy on them? Love your recipes!
Sorry Jennifer, but I don’t calculate the nutritional info on my recipes. If you’d like to figure it out, you can enter the ingredients into a calculator like this one — http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
I’d guess they come out to about 150 calories per bar.
Thank you for this recipe! I had previously been using a (delicious) no-bake chewy recipe and they would just fall apart practically disintegrating if not kept very cold, so off to google I went. As I am a vegetarian and trying to up my protein intake (but not sugar) this looked very promising. I made them exactly as directed (except it turns out our almond milk nor protein powder were flavored vanilla, so we added an extra tsp of the extract) for the first try, they did turn out flatter than yours but still chewy, they don’t fall to pieces and kid-approved. They are quite good. We cut into bars and wrapped in saran wrap for easy grab & go use. I stored on counter so far, as I don’t expect them to last long.
I think I will sub out the vanilla almond milk for coconut next time, maybe some coconut flakes.
Hi Amanda,
almond milk doesn’t have much protein. Would this recipe still work with dairy milk if I wanted to pack more protein into the bars?
Thanks!
Dairy milk would work just fine, Nick!
I made these today but only had chocolate protein powder. I had to modify it a bit because I had some different ingredients. I used 1/3 c coconut milk, natural peanut butter (instead of almond), 1/4 c energy blend (endamame, cranberries, almonds, and pumpkin kernels) in place of the chocolate chips, and agave in place of the honey.
Just found this recipe and made a batch last week. I’m making another (double) batch today because they are amazing!!!
I’m looking for a protein bar that I can eat when I go out of town and these work with a few substitutions (my diet is VERY limited)! However, I will have no access to a cooler or fridge. Do you think they would last 4 days without refrigeration?
They’ll be fine without refrigeration, Grace! I’ve taken then on plenty of trips and never run into any problems.