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White chocolate and cranberry granola bars are the perfect grab-and-go snack. They are simple to make at the beginning of the week and can be enjoyed all week long.
I love making a big batch of granola bars at the start of the week so that my family has a healthy, homemade snack option as we run around to activities. They are tasty and feel almost like an indulgent snack (thanks, white chocolate!), but they really have nourishing ingredients that fuel me and my kids as we hustle and bustle.
They’re also a great option to bring hiking, on a picnic, or to a play date when you and the kids just need a bite of something to hold you over until the next meal. I love throwing them into packed lunches, too!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- I love a granola bar because it’s packed with nutrients and vitamins, and these ones taste indulgent even though they’re full of nutritious ingredients!
- These simple homemade granola bars make a great snack for home or while away—easy to make, easy to pack, and easy to eat with hands.
- The honey and cranberries lend lots of natural sweetness—the white chocolate is just a fun topping!
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter – if using salted butter, use less salt than called for in the recipe
- Brown sugar
- Honey
- Milk
- Dried sweetened cranberries – like Craisins or use dried sweet cherries
- Vanilla
- Cinnamon
- Old-fashioned rolled oats
- Crispy rice cereal
- White chocolate
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make White Chocolate and Craisin Granola Bars
Step 1: Melt the butter, then add brown sugar, salt, milk, honey & cranberries.
Step 2: Add vanilla & cinnamon and mix. Pour hot mixture over oats and rice cereal.
Step 3: Mix together the wet & dry ingredients until well combined.
Step 4: Pour onto a baking sheet with parchment paper and let cool. Cut into bars.
Recipe FAQs
Honey is the binding agent in these bars, and when melted and mixed with the other ingredients, it creates a sticky combination that holds the bars together as they bake.
I happen to think homemade granola bars are always ideal and best for you because you know precisely what’s in them. If you start looking at ingredient lists for store-bought bars, you might be surprised to see some additives and other ingredients you’ve never heard of and probably don’t want to feed your family.
Granola bars are made by melting together binding ingredients, mixing it with the dry ingredients, baking the mixture on a rimmed baking sheet, and letting them cool slightly so you can cut them into the shapes of bars. For extra fun, I melt white chocolate and drizzle it over top of the finished and cooled bars!
You can! Just place them in a freezer-safe baggie or container, and freeze for up to 4 months. Let them thaw at room temperature for an hour to enjoy them!
Expert Tips
- If you want them to be a little less sweet, but still delicious, just skip the white chocolate drizzle.
- Granola bars can be placed in airtight freezer-safe containers and frozen for up to 4 months. A perfect make-ahead snack!
- I’m sure your family will beg you to make more granola bars after tasting this recipe, so here are plenty of homemade granola recipes, including more bars!
More Healthy Granola Recipes to Consider
Granola Recipes
Homemade Granola Bars
Snacks for Kids
Crunchy Oat and Honey Granola Bars
Granola Recipes
No Bake Peanut Butter Honey Granola Bars
Healthy Snacks
8 Easy Granola Bar Recipes
White Chocolate and Craisin Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dried sweetened cranberries, Craisins or dried sweet cherries
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3 cups crispy rice cereal
- 4 ounces or 1/2 cup white chocolate
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan over medium heat add the butter and cook until melted.
- Add the brown sugar, honey, milk, salt, and dried cranberries to the melted butter and stir to combine.
- Let the mixture come to a boil and boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Take the pan off the heat and add vanilla and cinnamon.
- In a large bowl add the oats and crispy rice cereal and then pour the cooked mixture over the top. Stir until well combined.
- Dump the mixture onto one side of a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Press the mixture into the pan using the greased bottom of a measuring cup.
- The finished bars will take up about 2/3 of the pan and be about 3/4 of an inch thick. Allow the bars to cool and set for at least an hour.
- After the bars have had time to cool, place them and the parchment paper they are still on, on a cutting board.
- Cut into bars using a sharp knife, but leave them close together.
- Melt the white chocolate in a mug over high heat in the microwave until smooth, stirring often.
- Drizzle the chocolate evenly over all of the bars. Allow the chocolate to cool and set for at least an hour.
- When the chocolate is set, cut the bars again with a sharp knife in the same places you cut before. Gobble them up or store in an air-tight container for later.
Notes
- I like to rehydrate and plump up dried fruits before I eat them in something like this, so I boiled them in the sugar/butter mixture to soften them. If you like your Craisins chewy and more firm don’t boil them and just add them to the cereal/oat mixture.
- This is a great recipe for adding anything! You can throw some nuts, flax, or wheat germ into the cereal/oat mixture; the possibilities are endless.
- The bars firmed up as they sat overnight, uncovered. So if they are a bit soft, just leave them out overnight.
- Make ahead however many bars you’d like and freeze in airtight bags or containers for up to 4 months.
Are these supposed to be baked? The text mentions baking but the recipe doesn’t? They did not stick together at all – did I miss that?0
The kids loved them!
I need to make more granola bars more often! These look awesome Melissa!