The Best Chocolate Chip Granola Bar Recipe
on Jul 06, 2017, Updated Oct 28, 2022
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The best and easiest Chocolate Chip Granola Bar recipe ever! And the best part? It includes peanut butter too!
I have lots of great granola bar recipes up my sleeve. Try Crunchy Oat and Honey Granola Bars and White Chocolate and Craisin Granola Bars.
Chocolate Chip Granola Bar
Fast, easy, kid-friendly snacks are the name of the game when it comes to summer-eating in our house and this peanut butter chocolate chip granola bar recipe is one of our favorites. It’s super simple to make, the kids love them, they travel and store well, and I normally have everything on hand to make them.
We love these whole grain sweet treats for easy snacks to take the to pool, on trips to the park, and to share with friends while all of the neighborhood kids are jumping on the trampoline. You just can’t beat that classic chocolate and peanut butter combination. Everyone loves these!
How do you get granola bars to stick together?
To get granola bars to actually be bars you combine honey, butter, and brown sugar to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Let the mixture come to a light bubble for 1 minute while stirring. When butter mixture is ready, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, and peanut butter.
Then pour the honey mixture over the oat and nut mixture and stir to combine. Make sure none of the oats are dry. Once the mixture cools for 2 hours, everything will be nice and stuck together!
How long do I cook homemade granola bars?
How long you let the sugar/honey mixture cook will determine how sticky or hard your granola bars are. I like mine to come to a nice bubble for 30 seconds to 1 minute. This makes a granola bar recipe that sticks together but is still “chewy”. If you let the mixture boil for 2 minutes you’ll get a crunchier granola bar (be sure to stir while the mixture cooks).
Can I make these granola bars dairy and gluten free?
Food allergies? I’m sure that coconut oil and dairy-free chocolate chips would work for this recipe if you are dairy free. Gluten-free oats will also work great (make sure you get allergen-friendly chocolate chips too).
How long will homemade granola bars last?
They keep well and last for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. You can also store them in the freezer and they’ll keep even longer. You may want to wrap them in a bit of parchment paper before putting them in a container or plastic bag in the fridge so that they don’t stick together.You can easily double this recipe and put it in a 9×13 inch dish if you need lots of granola bars in your life.
The Best Chocolate Chip Granola Bar Recipe
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 to 16 bars 1x
Description
We all love chocolate chips. We all love granola. And with this easy granola bar recipe you can love them together! Great for quick breakfasts and snacking.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment or foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
- Place the oats on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted.
- While the oats are toasting, add the honey, butter, and brown sugar to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Let the mixture come to a light bubble for 1 minute while stirring. When butter mixture is ready, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, and peanut butter.
- Add the toasted oats and the peanuts to a large bowl. Pour the honey mixture over the oat and nut mixture and stir to combine. Stir to combine. Make sure none of the oats are dry.
- Place all of the oat mixture in the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula or the bottom of a greased measuring cup to press the mixture into the pan.
- Let this cool for about 10 minutes before sprinkling the mini chocolate chips over the top. Press the chocolate chips into the granola bars with the bottom of a measuring cup.
- Chill the granola bars for at least 2 hours. Lift the bars from the pan using the edges of the foil or parchment and place them on a cutting board. Cut into desired shape and size and serve.
Notes
These store very well in the fridge or freezer. You may want to wrap them in a bit of parchment paper before putting them in a container or plastic bag in the fridge so that they don’t stick together.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Granola Bars
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Some more healthy snack ideas that are simple to make too:
- Crunchy Oat and Honey Granola Bars
- 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Honey Granola Bars (no bake)
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola Bars
- White Chocolate and Craisin Granola Bars
- Chewy Granola Bars
- Homemade Cinnamon Granola Recipe
- Healthy Honey Coconut Granola Recipe
- Healthy Homemade Snack Bars Recipe
- 8 Easy Homemade Granola Bar Recipes You Should Try TODAY
Carry on summer mama warriors! It’s not always sunshine and roses but you’ve got this. Chocolate chip granola bars will help!
So good! We make these all the time!
what can you substitute for peanuts?
Anything you’d like, other chopped nuts or coconut or just leave it out all together
I made these yesterday and only problem I had was not eating them all at one time. It was quick and easy to make. I am not a honey fan, so I used maple syrup. I had almonds so used instead of peanuts but both are great. I will be making them again. One great thing about this recipe you can change it to fit your taste. You can add dried cranberries or any dried fruit that you have on hand. Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe.
So glad that you could use maple syrup! I’ve been meaning to try that, thank you for sharing.
Loved this recipe!! I added shredded coconut and raisins too! delish Thank You
How many calories do you think each bar is?
Is there a substitute for the Peanut Butter? Thanks.
Any nut butter would work great.
What a fun idea! These totally remind me of the granola bars that my Mom used to pack in my lunch as a kid…but I bet homemade is WAY better. My son is just getting to the age where he enjoys granola bars, so I might just need to surprise him with a batch of these soon!
Oh, boy, these sound amazing! Peanut butter, chocolate and oats? I could eat my weight in these!
P.S. If you’re ever in Indianapolis, please let me know! I’d love to meet you.