Homemade Cranberry Granola Bars
My kids are human garbage disposals. I thought this wasn’t suppose to happen until middle school? They are always hungry. Even on my best days when I make a full on breakfast of sausage, eggs, avocado, fruit, etc. the clock strikes 9:00 and they are starving again! I always like to have snacks on hand that I feel good about when handing them over to the kiddos.
These homemade cranberry granola bars are simple, quick & taste better than any of the store bought options. Plus they are made with REAL ingredients! For the kiddos and myself they are a go to snack (along with these oatmeal balls). I promise your kids will love them (and if they don’t, swap the cranberries for chocolate chips…haha!).
- 2 cups of instant oats
- 1/2 cup granola (I used the pumpkin & flax seed one from Costco)
- 1/2 cup cranberries
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup almond butter (or peanut butter)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1. Place parchment paper in an 8x8 baking dish (see parchment tip below!)
- 2. In a large bowl combine oats, granola and dried cranberries
- 3. In a sauce pan over medium-low heat combine honey, butter, brown sugar, almond butter, vanilla, and salt. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer until you see it thickening. Allow to cool for five minutes.
- 4. Combine the mixture with the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.
- 5. Pour into baking dish and press down to fill evenly.
- 6. Allow to cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- 7. EASILY remove from parchment paper and cut into pieces.
- 8. Store in an airtight container (I keep mine in the fridge) for up to 1 week
- Fee free to choose different add-ins in place of the cranberries. Some ideas are dark chocolate chips, raisins, coconut, or almonds.
First, I LOVE parchment paper and silicone baking mats/sheets etc. They make clean up sooooo easy and nothing ever sticks to either of them. Jump on the bandwagon friends! Okay, so my parchment paper trick….I do this with casseroles too! Place inside the baking dish and you will notice it will pop back up making it hard to pour your ingredients in. So, I always use chip clips or clothespins to hold the parchment down while I pour. After everything is in place, simply remove the clips & Voila!
