No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars- My Version

January 21, 2012 at 10:45 am (Recipes)
Tags: chewy granola bars, Granola, granola bars, peanut-free, recipe, toddler

A couple of weeks ago I came across this recipe on Once a Month Mom. I pinned it and have been looking forward to trying it. One of the things Eli will always eat are the kids Cliff Bars. This has been running us at least $6 a week though, so I’d like to try to see if I can make a more economical homemade version.

I made quite a few substitutions however. The original recipe calls for peanut butter, powdered nonfat milk (both of which Eli is allergic to) and corn syrup (which we just generally try to avoid). I also substituted light brown sugar for the dark brown sugar simply because that was what was in the cupboard. In the future I’d like to try this recipe using honey instead of the Blue Agave Nectar.

Here is the recipe as I made it today.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Blue Agave Nectar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup nut butter of choice (I used a mixture of almond and sunflower seed butters)

1/2 cup goat’s milk powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup granola cereal

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Line a 8 1/2″ x 8 1/2 ” baking pan with parchment paper.

Heat the Blue Agave Nectar and the brown sugar together in a large sauce pan until the sugar dissolves, then let it simmer another half a minute.

Remove from heat. Add the nut butter, milk powder and the vanilla and stir until creamy.

Add the remaining ingredients. I found I needed to add a little extra granola than the recipe called for, perhaps due to some of the other substitutions. I just shook some in from the box until it looked right (no amounts of goo not coating granola). This picture was taken before I added more cereal.

 

Dump it in the pan and press down.

 

Let it cool for 1 hour then turn onto a cutting board and cut into bars. As these are for a little guy I cut the bars quite small. The recipe gave me 16 granola bars.

I wrapped each one in waxed paper and tied with a bit of string so I can throw these into his bag when we go out. When we unwrap one I put the wrapper and string in a baggie to save for the next time I make the recipe.

And for the Eli test…

Though the picture is blurry Eli is clearly pleased!

Here’s where I’m linking up.

Saturday:

jane deere, The Gingerbread Blog, Too Much Time On My Hands, tatertots & jello,

Six Sisters’ Stuff, Be Different Act Normal, Serenity You

Sunday:

LambAround,  Homemaker on a Dime,  I {heart} Naptime,  Flamingo Toes,

Petite Hermine, My 1929 Charmer Blog

Monday:

{aka}/ design, Get Outta My Head Please, Mad in Crafts, Skip to My Lou,

The Gunny Sack, Sew Can Do, Singing Three Little Birds, Etcetorize, Dittle Dattle,

C.R.A.F.T.,  diy home sweet home, Craft-O Maniac, Sew Chatty, Artful Rising,

Sarahndipities 

Tuesday:

At Home With K, Not Just a Housewife, Hope Studios, Funky Polkadot Giraffe,

Kammy’s Korner, The Kurtz Corner, I’m Topsy Turvy, Tip Junkie,

Raising 4 Princesses,

Thursday:

Mom On Timeout, Somewhat Simple, Thrifty Decorating, Bear Rabbit Bear,

The Crafty Blogstalker, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Fun to Craft, House of Hepworths,

Sorta Crunchy, Delightful Order, Saved by Love Creations, A Glimpse Inside,

Between U & Me, Happy Hour Projects, Anything Goes Linky Party, Bell’s Miracle

Friday:

Simply Designing, Whipperberry,  Happy Hour Projects, kojodesigns,

Joyful Stamper, Making Lemonade Blog, Thirty Handmade Days,

Release Me Creations, Naptime Crafters, Romantic Home, Finding Fabulous,

Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, French Country Cottage,

The Charm of Home, The Grant Life, At the Picket Fence, Fingerprints on the Fridge,

Stuff and Nonsense, One Art Mama, 2805, Fusion Fridays