Chewy No Bake Granola Bars

These chewy no-bake granola bars are a healthy alternative to your store bought granola bar and are so delicious you won’t be able to stop yourself from eating just one!

Happy Friday! I am excited to be headed off to Build Your Blog Conference to learn a ton and meet a ton of awesome other bloggers. While I’m gone I asked my good friend Meaghan from Cook. Craft. Love to fill in for me. You are going to love these granola bars she is sharing today.

Hi, Tastefully Frugal readers!  If you don’t know me already I’m Meaghan and I blog over at Cook. Craft. Love.  I am so excited to be here today sharing a recipe that’s healthier, cheaper, and way more fun than anything you can buy in the store!  Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars!

Now you’re all like what?  No baking required?  Sign me up!  I wanted a recipe that the kids could help with {with adult supervision of course} from start to finish and these no-bake granola bars are the perfect way to get the kids into the kitchen and helping momma create a tasty snack that might not even last through the week.  Which is perfectly fine!  These granola bars are so easy you won’t mind making a batch a couple times a week.  Especially if it means you’re feeding your kids ingredients you can pronounce.  Which isn’t necessarily something you can say for those store bought granola bars.

The base of these bars is my yummy simple honey vanilla granola.  I double that recipe to make these and get about 10 good sized bars.  If you’ve got smaller munchkins by all means cut these smaller and maybe they’ll last a bit longer, too.  For an easier on the go snack I’d say you could also roll them into balls, refrigerate them the same way, and toss them in the mom bag if you wanted!  However you shape them they’ll eat just the same and your kids will go bonkers every time you hand them a bar out of the fridge. 

Chewy No Bake Granola Bars

Meaghan @ Cook. Craft. Love

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 hrs 10 mins

Total Time 2 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients

  

• 3 1/2 cups quick oats
• 6 Tbs butter
• 6 Tbs honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips divided
• 1/4 cup dried fruit optional

Instructions

 

• In a small saucepan combine butter, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla and heat over medium heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.
• Turn off the heat and stir in oats and mix until evenly coated.
• While still warm stir in half the chocolate chips until well incorporated. They will melt which will help act as extra glue to hold the bars together as they set!
• Turn mixture into a foil lined 9x9 baking dish and press firmly into the pan until well compacted.
• Add the rest of the chocolate chips and the dried fruit if using and press to push them down into the surface of the bars.
• Refrigerate for about 2 hours or until firm, cut, and enjoy!

Notes

Store these bars in an air tight container in the fridge for up to a week.  Leave them out on the counter for 2-5 minutes before serving for slightly softer bars.

We will absolutely never go back to the store bought granola bars again!  Have you ever made your favorite snack at home?  What did you make and how did it compare to your store bought goodie?

If you’re looking for more delicious snack ideas be sure to follow me on Pinterest!