No weekend updates today.  Except that I got sick on Saturday night after eating at Chipotle.  Vishnu thinks it was a combination of me eating too much too fast.  Those are two very plausible possibilities.  All I know is it was not fun and I felt gross.  Therefore, Chipotle and I are taking a break.

Thankfully I felt much better Sunday morning.  I even headed out bright and early for our weekly grocery shopping trip at my new favorite farmer’s market and Publix.  I. Love. Grocery. Shopping!  Yes, I realize this makes me sound dorky.  I don’t care.

While at Publix I looked for some nutritious granola bars that Vishnu and I could take to work/school during the week.  After looking at about five different kinds, I gave up.  There are some decent ones out there – it’s just that my wallet wasn’t impressed enough for me to purchase.

When I got home, I started looking up recipes for homemade granola bars.  And then I remembered that there’s a pretty good one on my own blog!  Duh. 

When I clicked on it however, I got a weird “this page does not exist” message.  For a split second, I thought all my recipes were gone.  And then I realized that when I switched over to a new blog design, I deleted a bunch of pages, of which the granola bar recipe was one.  Oops!  Sometimes I get excited with the whole technical side of the blog, think of myself as an IT expert, and end up messing things up.  Sometimes.  That’s when having a super techie husband really helps!

All was not lost though.  I knew that at some point in the past I had emailed this recipe to someone.  After doing a quick search, I found it!  And lucky us (and you guys) because what came out of the oven was better than any store bought granola bars.  These bars are soft, chewy, slightly sweet, and full of dark chocolate bits. 

granola bars 002

Ready to go into the oven

After trying a piece, I couldn’t believe I had waited so long to make these again.  Seeing that Vishnu had two pieces last night, I think I unknowingly started a weekly/biweekly homemade granola bar tradition.  Not a bad thing!

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

4 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup nuts of your choice (I used slivered almonds)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup chocolate chips of your choice, chopped into little pieces (I used dark chocolate)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted (I used Earth Balance)
1/4 cup honey
6 teaspoons smooth peanut butter
4 teaspoons milk (I used almond milk)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Mix together the first six ingredients in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the ingredient and stir until smooth.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.  Spray a 13x9x2 pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Spread the mixture evenly, pushing down with the back of your spoon to ensure that everything is nice and compact.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Allow the bars to cool for a few hours before cutting into pieces.

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P.S. Don’t worry if your bars break apart a little.  They’ll still taste delicious.  So delicious in fact that I’m hoping ours stick around for more then 48 hours.  Vishnuletstrytomaketheselastforatleastfourdaysplease!

Tell me something fun about your weekend!

By Parita

18 thoughts on “Chocolate Chip Granola Bars”
  1. Hahaha love the last line of this post! Vishnu reminds me of my brother- sometimes I secretly hope he doesn’t enjoy a food that I love otherwise it barely stands a chance! I’ve been meaning to make my own granola bars at home too so will definitely be trying these out- thanks! I love that they contain regular, easy-to-access ingredients and are totally customizable!

    Something fun from my weekend: Seeing a matinee show of Argo with a friend followed by a coffee date :)!

    Have a great Monday, P!

  2. Now I fell like I can finally say it… I do NOT like Chipotle. It feels good to get that off my chest. 🙂

    Glad you’re feeling better! Those bars look wayyyy better than a burrito anyway.

  3. LOL at Vishnu – such a cutie 😀

    Mmm these look good – am thinking of doing a sugar-free version (because I am insane and decided to quit sugar AGAIN :P). Evs would love these too because he always complains that I complain that the muesli bars he eats are basically candy lol.

  4. I have taken a break from Chipotle for past few months. It used to be my all time fav place to go but now I cannot stand it. I felt gross so I guess I am not the only one. Well, the granola bar recipe looks fanstastically delicious and I love the fact that I have all the ingredients waiting for me at home to be made. I will let u know how it goes 🙂 thanks for sharing.

  5. Yay, I’ve been looking for a homemade granola bar recipe so I’ll definitely be trying yours soon. I was making the Smitten Kitchen one but man, what is up with all that corn syrup in it?!? Glad yours are much “cleaner” particularly since we like to give little man treats every now and then 🙂

    PS: Totally making my way through your wedding posts. Loving all the details (and outfits)!

    1. Thanks! I love this recipe because it full of the good stuff. I think your little man will love it. Please let me know if you decide to give it a try!

      And thank you for the wedding comment. I love going back through and reading those posts as well. 🙂

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