I'm all about chocolate, and I'm even more crazy for it when I can justify the indulgence by pairing it with a healthy sidekick... thus, the homemade chocolate chip granola bar. Sure, it may not sound like anything special... you can find them front and center in your grocer's cereal aisle, decked out head to toe in shiny cellophane wrapping. But the great thing about being homemade: you know exactly what goes into them, you can tailor them to fit your unique taste, and you can indulge without feeling (too) guilty. The recipe to follow will absolutely astound you with its simplicity. I looked high and low for a recipe that worked for me, and when that failed, I threw this together. The fact that these vanished less than 24 hours after their debut from my oven... well, that should speak for their utter deliciousness itself (or for the incredible magical powers that these bars may or may not possess). Totally worth the 10 minutes they take to whip together, these bars, whether delicious, magical, or magically delicious, are sure to be a hit and a welcome addition to your regular recipe rotation. Enjoy!
Homemade Dark Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Ingredients
2 Cups Quick Cooking Oats
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour*
1/3 Cup Packed Brown Sugar**
3/4 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips (I used a heaping 3/4 Cup :))
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Canola Oil***
1/2 Cup Honey****
1 Egg*****
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2)Combine the oats, flour, sugar, chocolate chips, and salt in a medium/large bowl. Make sure you show those brown sugar clumps who's boss!
3)Whisk the oil, honey, egg, and vanilla extract in a separate, small bowl. I simply used a fork, as I really despise cleaning whisks... but if you have one, and aren't anti-whisk cleaning, I would advise you to use yours. Otherwise, a fork also does a bang-up job.
4) Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix well.
5) Grease a 9x13 pan. Using a greased spatula (and some wet hands) spread the mixture into an even, flat layer in the pan, making sure it all reaches the sides in one uniform layer. Do not worry, though you will wonder if it is even enough to fill the pan, with patience, diligence, and more patience (and again, a greased spatula and wet hands) you'll be able to get a pretty, flat, uniform layer of big 'ol granola bar.
6) Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to turn light brown. Watch these very closely! Every oven is different, and if you need to... start checking on it at 10 minutes, and then every 1-2 minutes thereafter.
7) Cool pan on a wire rack, and once completely cooled, cut into individual granola bars. Store bars in an airtight container. They also freeze nicely if you want to make a couple of batches at once so you always have some on hand, because as I said before, these yummylicious bars go fast!
*You can also try a combination of 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat & 1/2 Cup All Purpose - I would have made these like this on my first attempt, but I was out of WW flour at the time; I will try this combination soon and update with my results)
**If you like sweet, add up to 3/4 Cup; if you can get by with less, you can probably do 1/4 Cup with good results
***Vegetable oil would also get yummy results; do not use any other kind of oils than the two I have listed here! I am also going to keep experimenting with a few different oil substitutions... stay tuned!
****Buy local! Not only supports your local beekeepers, but eating honey from your area helps your body cope with allergies specific to your location!
*****Cage Free, Free Range :)
These adorable chocolate bunny grahams are a huge hit in our household, from my food-lovin' man's man of a husband, to our picky finger-food eating baby girl. And they're something I can feel good about feeding to my family... no trans fats, no HFCS, and absolutely no fake ingredients made in a lab beaker that I cannot pronounce, let alone find in nature! They're crunchy, they're sweet, they're incredibly chocolatey, and best of all... they are super duper satisfying.
