Claudia's Cookbook - Sweet and Salty Homemade Granola Bars cover

In my last post, I talked about how obsessed I was with the healthy road trip snacks I made from Gimme Some Oven’s blog. Well, my obsession continues with these beauties. I love these granola bars with all my heart and soul.

Seriously. They are the easiest thing to make and they taste incredibly delicious. The pairing of sweet dark chocolate and dried cranberries with the saltiness of the pretzels and peanuts makes this snack very addictive. Good thing they are healthy and not filled with preservatives like most grocery store brands.

I have gone through two pans of these granola bars. They are perfect for when you are on the run or a mid-morning snack at work. Actually, I could eat them any time of day – who am I kidding? Not to mention, they are no bake! You need to give them a try. You can also use any dried fruit or ingredients you’d like. These granola bars should be wrapped individually and stored in the fridge. I find they hold their shape the best that way.

Claudia's Cookbook - Sweet and Salty Homemade Granola Bars 1

In a large bowl, place your puffed rice cereal and peanut butter.

Claudia's Cookbook - Sweet and Salty Homemade Granola Bars 2

Next add your chocolate chips.

Claudia's Cookbook - Sweet and Salty Homemade Granola Bars 3

Then add your peanuts and pretzels.

Claudia's Cookbook - Sweet and Salty Homemade Granola Bars 4

Followed by your delicious dried cranberries and honey.

 Claudia's Cookbook - Sweet and Salty Homemade Granola Bars 5

Finally, add your ground flax seed.

Claudia's Cookbook - Sweet and Salty Homemade Granola Bars 6

Mix all ingredients well until evenly coated and sticky.

Claudia's Cookbook - Sweet and Salty Homemade Granola Bars 9

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

This step is very important, as the ingredients will hold its shape better.

Claudia's Cookbook - Sweet and Salty Homemade Granola Bars 8

Press granola bar mix into a parchment lined baking pan.

The size doesn’t really matter, but I used an 8″ x 8″ pan.

I placed the plan in the refrigerator for another hour, as they are easier to cut into bars if they are chilled.

Claudia's Cookbook - Sweet and Salty Homemade Granola Bars 7

Cut into bars and serve!

My storage recommendation is to wrap each granola bar individually with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator.

I find the bars keep their shape a lot better this way.

Sweet, salty and oh so delicious!

Enjoy!

Sweet and Salty Homemade Granola Bars

Prep Time: 2 hours

Yield: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown/whole grain crispy puffed rice cereal (I used Nature's Path Rice Puffs)
  • 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
  • 1/2 cup chopped pretzels
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup ground flax seed

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, place your puffed rice cereal and peanut butter.
  2. Next add your chocolate chips, peanuts and pretzels, dried cranberries, honey and flax seed.
  3. Mix all ingredients well until evenly coated and sticky.
  4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. This step is very important, as the ingredients will hold its shape better.
  5. Press granola bar mix into a parchment lined baking pan. The size doesn’t really matter, but I used an 8 inch x 8 inch pan.
  6. I placed the plan in the refrigerator for another hour, as they are easier to cut into bars if they are chilled.
  7. Cut into bars and serve!

Notes

Recipe adapted from: GimmeSomeOven.com

My storage recommendation is to wrap each granola bar individually with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator.

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5 Comments on Sweet and Salty Homemade Granola Bars

  1. Marg Wiebe
    October 27, 2015 at 10:06 PM (9 years ago)

    I’m allergic to peanuts, wondering what I could use instead of the peanut butter

    Reply
      • Marg Wiebe
        October 29, 2015 at 3:36 PM (9 years ago)

        Sorry, I should’ve said I’m allergic to all nuts…it’s a real pain when trying recipe for granola and granola bars.

        Reply
        • Dee Kennedy
          September 12, 2016 at 5:45 PM (8 years ago)

          Have you tried SunButter? It’s quite good and appears to be a similar consistency to Peanut Butter. It’s Peanut and Tree Nut free.

          Reply
          • Claudia's Cookbook
            September 18, 2016 at 9:16 PM (8 years ago)

            I’ve never tried it but I hear it’s delicious!

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