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Home » Cookies-Bars

March 9, 2014 Cookies-Bars

No Bake Chewy Granola Bars Revised

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My original recipe for No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars are hands-down, my most popular recipe and I totally understand why.  Heck, I created the recipe almost two years ago and I still make them once a week for my kiddos.  They are perfection!
 
Over the past two years, I’ve had many comments and questions about my recipe, but the following two were repeated over and over:
 
  1. Can I use coconut oil instead of butter?
  2. Can I use agave nectar instead of honey?
So what kind of food blogger would I be if I didn’t take on that challenge and present you with a revised version of my famous granola bars?
No Bake Chewy Granola bars with coconut oil and agave nectar

I decided to take each substitution one at a time so I could properly evaluate how each substitution either failed or succeeded.  First, I used the agave nectar in place of the honey and was shocked to discover that I actually preferred them made with the agave over the honey.  The honey gave the bars a strong honey flavor (duh) but the agave was much more neutral and didn’t interfere with the mix-ins.  Success!

Next, the scarier substitution:  the coconut oil for the butter.  I’ve never made a caramel sauce with anything besides butter and knew it would take some trial and error.  I had three batches that turned out not so great (greasy and rock hard), but finally found the method that left no difference in texture and chewiness.  Success!

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No Bake Chewy Granola Bars Revised

  • Author: Carole
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Description

A healthier no bake chewy granola bar recipe using coconut oil instead of butter and agave nectar instead of honey!  A kid friendly recipe for school lunches and after school snacks


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups quick cooking oats (or pulse whole oats in a food processor a bit)
  • 1 C rice crispy cereal
  • 1/4 C shredded coconut
  • 3Tb + 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 1/4 C agave nectar
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1.  In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oats, cereal and coconut.  Set a small saucepan over medium high heat and melt the coconut oil.  Add the agave, brown sugar and salt.  Stir together then leave it alone as it comes to a boil.  Once the boil has reached all the way around the edges of the pan, begin timing.  Allow this mixture to boil for 1 minute and 30 seconds.  During this time, you may need to turn the heat down a bit so it doesn’t overflow, but be sure it keeps boiling gently.  Watch your time closely or you will end up with hard bars instead of chewy!
2.  Add the vanilla then pour the mixture over the oats, using a rubber spatula to get all the sugar mixture out of the pan.  Mix the ingredients together until the oats are completely coated.  Add in your desired mix-in then press very firmly into a lightly greased 9×13″ pan.  If you like your bars thicker, you can use a smaller pan or double the recipe and use the same 9×13 pan.  If you do not press firmly enough, the bars will fall apart when you eat them.  Place them in the fridge for 20 minutes then cut to size.


Notes

Mix In Variations

 

Chocolate Chip
Add 1/2 C of mini chocolate chips to the finished mixture before pressing into the pan, allowing it cool just a bit or you will end up with melted chips.  Sprinkle on a few extra chips over the top after they are pressed into the pan.

White Chocolate Cranberry
Add 1/3 C of white chocolate chips and 1/3 C of Craisins to the finished mixture before pressing into the pan, allowing it to cool just a bit first or you will end up with melted chips.

Candy Bar
Add 1/3 C of Heath bar pieces, 1/3 C of mini M&M’s and 1/3 C of chopped pretzels to the finished mixture before pressing into the pan.

Peanut Butter
Add 2 Tb of peanut butter to the finished sugar mixture before pouring it over the oats.  Once mixed with the oats, add 1/2 C peanut butter chips before pressing into the pan.

Raisin Nut
Add 1/3 C of chopped raisins and 1/3 C of chopped pecans to the finished mixture before pressing into the pan.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 211
  • Sugar: 15g
  • Sodium: 112mg
  • Fat: 9g
  • Saturated Fat: 3g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 2g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 31g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 4g
  • Cholesterol: 0mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @thecarolejones on Instagram and hashtag it #mykitchenescapades

To make these healthier, revised No Bake Chewy Granola Bars, follow these changes to the original recipe found here.

  1. Substitute agave nectar for the honey.  No changes in the amount.
  2. Substitute coconut oil for the butter, but reduce the amount to 3 Tb + 1 tsp of coconut oil.  If you use the full 1/4 C of coconut oil, your end result will be greasy.
  3. Watch your boiling time carefully and reduce it to exactly 1 minute and 30 seconds.  You are timing from the moment bubbles cover the whole surface of the syrup in your pan.  If you go longer, your bars will turn out hard.

Categories: Cookies-Bars Tags: Gluten Free, Oats

Filed Under: Cookies-Bars
33 Comments
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cara Jones says

    March 09, 2014 at 8:12 pm

    Yum, yum, yum! Can’t wait to try these!!!

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    March 12, 2014 at 2:07 pm

    5Tbsp +1 tsp of coconut oil is more than 1/4 cup, so I’m confused by the amount.

    Reply
    • Jen says

      March 25, 2015 at 8:39 pm

      It’s says 3tbsp +1tsp

      Reply
      • Carole says

        March 25, 2015 at 9:21 pm

        Yep Jen. That is the measurement that you need to use. 3 tablespoons as well as 1 tsp of coconut oil

        Reply
  3. Carole says

    March 12, 2014 at 2:28 pm

    Thank you for pointing out my error! That was supposed to be 3 Tb + 1 tsp. I have made the correction.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    March 13, 2014 at 6:47 pm

    Great! Thanks for the clear up 🙂 can’t wait to make these!!

    Reply
  5. Becky says

    April 17, 2014 at 8:38 pm

    Hi there, Carole, I’m hoping to feature your granola bars on my fledgling blog and wanted to get your permission to share a link to your post. I’m fairly new at this, so if you have any preferences or would rather I not publish your recipe on my blog (with credit to you) please let me know! My blog is http://www.happyisaverb.blogspot.com
    Thank you for your AMAZING recipe! My kids love it!

    Reply
  6. Rebecca Clegg says

    April 26, 2014 at 1:17 am

    Hi there again, Carole! Thank you for letting me post and link back to your granola bar recipe! I’ve tried out a few other add ins (blueberry and smores) and it turns out they are amazing no matter what you put in them!!
    Thank you, here is the link:
    http://happyisaverb.blogspot.com/2014/04/monster-mash-granola-bars.html

    Reply
  7. hokiemama says

    April 30, 2014 at 5:49 pm

    I just made them and they’re sooo good. i made the white chocolate cranberry and had to give half away because i was going to eat them all if i didn’t. i did find them a little sweet, but a.) i couldn’t stop eating them and b.) i made another batch 5 hours later adding mixed nuts and PB. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!

    Reply
  8. Carole says

    April 30, 2014 at 6:20 pm

    I’m so glad you loved them! I make them once a week for my kids lunches and I also have a hard time leaving them alone 🙂

    Reply
  9. shanna says

    September 22, 2014 at 11:08 pm

    As far as the honey is concerned. I’d rather not use Agave as it is being found to be NOT as good for you as they used to claim. I’d prefer to trying a simple syrup solution with Stevia. Is it possible to create one that would work just as well? If not I’ll just use honey. Though it may give a strong homey taste, I’d rather deal that for the excellent health benefits it has.

    Reply
    • Carole says

      September 23, 2014 at 8:11 am

      Shanna- sounds like a good idea with the simple syrup but I’ve never used that before so I can’t tell you how they would turn out. If you try it, let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  10. Jhanna says

    November 25, 2014 at 1:49 pm

    Hi Carole, I just made this version of the granola bars and I added dried cranberries, almonds, cashews, and pumpkin seeds. They look sooooo good. Unfortunately, they’re really soft and crumbly. I made sure to follow the recipe exactly and really push the mixture into the pans. Do you have any idea what I did wrong or what I could do to harden them up? Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Carole says

      November 25, 2014 at 5:49 pm

      It sounds like you need a little more time to boil your sugar mixture. Go up by 30 seconds and see if that solves your problem! -Carole

      Reply
  11. ronke omolegbe says

    January 21, 2015 at 10:34 am

    Hi carole, this looks great, i tried the peanut butter one a few times before seeing your recipe,it came out nice but when i used cheerios,it didnt form quite well,do you think ts because i didnt use parchment paper,i oiled a glass baking dish. both were non bake recipes, I chilled them in the refridgerator.could it be better to bake?

    Reply
    • Carole says

      January 25, 2015 at 8:26 am

      I would not bake them Ronke or they will become rock hard. I have never mase them with Cheerios so that might be your problem

      Reply
  12. bethany says

    February 03, 2015 at 10:11 pm

    Sooooooooo good! Two questions-how do u store them and what did I do wrong if I couldn’t fill my 9×13 pan? Oh and do you have any nutrition facts?my hubby said oh coconut oil is not good for you. Oh sorry one more- any idea the cost per granola bar? Thank you for this super yummy recipe.i too had to hide them BC I wanted to eat them all!

    Reply
    • Carole says

      February 04, 2015 at 11:19 am

      Thanks Bethany! You probably just made them a bit thicker, but that isn’t a problem. Coconut oil is much healthier than butter which is why I created this healthier recipe compared to my original. As far as cost, that is completely dependent on where you shop so you will have to do the math on that one. Thanks for your great questions

      Reply
    • Carole says

      February 04, 2015 at 11:20 am

      Also, I store them either in an airtight container or wrap them individually in plastic wrap for lunches.

      Reply
  13. bethany says

    March 04, 2015 at 7:59 am

    Have not baught store gronala bars in two months now!still need to do the cost calculation though.my tummy isn’t tolerating the oats now.any thoughts on a sub for the oats? I tried half cereal half oats and they worked out, but still too much oats for my tummy. I also want to put in a plug for how you can totally mess up and they still come out ok.i used 1/2 cup agave and honey by accident then a whole tablespoon of salt and forgot the brown sugar (not a good cooking day for me)! But I boiled and boiled and boiled and they still turned out. To make them not crumbly I press them with my fist in the pan for about a minute or until my tricep fatigues! Have never had crumbly ones.

    Reply
    • Carole says

      March 04, 2015 at 1:29 pm

      I have the same tummy troubles with grains Bethany so I know your struggles! Thanks for sharing your experiences with my recipe

      Reply
  14. Melissa says

    March 09, 2015 at 12:14 am

    Would this recipe work the same with Splenda instead of sugar? I’m trying to eat as healthy as possible and am new to using Splenda. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Carole says

      March 09, 2015 at 8:04 am

      Melissa- it would not work the same using Splenda, unfortunately. At the top of the post, there is a link to my healthier version using agave nectar and coconut oil.

      Reply
  15. Anon says

    May 17, 2015 at 2:45 pm

    Thank you for this recipe 🙂 !
    I mixed something up during the boiling process and changed cereals… but like someone previously said, this recipe is very forgiving! Still tastes great!

    Reply
    • Carole says

      May 18, 2015 at 9:11 pm

      That is awesome that it still worked out for you Anon!

      Reply
  16. Kat says

    June 14, 2015 at 9:51 am

    Hi Carole, since we put into the fridge for 20 mins to allows it to be hardened, can we stored it in air tight container subsequent after taking them out from the fridge? As I am staying in tropical country which is hot and humid, so am worry it will turn bad. Need your advice. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Carole says

      June 14, 2015 at 2:13 pm

      Hi Kat! Thanks for your question. To keep them for a longer time, I will wrap each bar in plastic wrap and store them in n airtight container. Keeps for a week!

      Reply
  17. Trish says

    July 06, 2017 at 8:37 am

    These look so yummy!! Could you freeze these??

    Reply
    • Carole says

      July 06, 2017 at 2:48 pm

      I have a friend who does freeze them for her kids lunches Trish!

      Reply
  18. Karen Fletcher says

    November 06, 2021 at 12:07 pm

    I’m trying to get to the page with the original recipe (I had it pinned) and keep getting an error. I’ve tried all the links on this page with the same result. Help? Thanks! Can’t wait to make these!

    Reply
    • Carole says

      November 09, 2021 at 7:22 pm

      Here you go Karen! https://www.mykitchenescapades.com/no-bake-granola-bars-recipe-chewy/

      Reply
      • Carole says

        November 09, 2021 at 7:24 pm

        Also, thanks for the heads up! I have corrected the links in the post 🙂

        Reply

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