Last year after much trial and error I came up with a granola bar recipe that I was pretty happy with. But then a coworker started buying these super delicious energy bars by the case. They were basically just nuts and pretzels stuck together with brown rice syrup. I made a mental note to try to make such a bar myself. Then a few months later I discovered yet another delicious energy bar. It was teeny tiny and cost about three dollars and was really just sliced almonds and coconut flakes glued together with brown rice syrup. I like to think that I’m not the kind of sucker who buys three dollar energy bars, so I figured it was time I made my own.
I thought about making them with just nuts, but I decided to add some oats to make them a little more nutritionally balanced. What I came up with is much simpler than any of my earlier experiments, and it worked perfectly. They hold together, they’re nice and chewy, and they’re not too sweet.
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
- 1 cup raw pecan halves
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown rice syrup
- 3 tablespoons honey
Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread the oats, almonds, and pecans on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the oven for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the almonds are just beginning to turn golden. Add the coconut and put the baking sheet back in the oven for another couple minutes, until the coconut is golden brown. Keep an eye on it. The coconut will brown very quickly. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the salt. Combine the honey and the brown rice syrup in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes, just until the syrup thins out. Remove from heat and pour over the nut mixture. Stir well until everything is well coated with the syrup.
Spread the granola evenly in the prepared pan. Place another piece of parchment paper on top and press the granola into the pan. Be sure to pack the whole thing down really well, all the way to the edges. Refrigerate until cooled completely. Transfer to a cutting board and peel off the parchment paper. using a sharp, heavy knife, cut the square into 5 or 6 strips, then cut the strips in half crosswise to make 10 or 12 bars. I like to wrap them individually in waxed paper so that they’re easy to just grab and take to work.
cooking the hard way 
wow .. i love this recipe .. amazing … im gonna definatly try it .. the only prob is that im not sure if i can find brown rice syrup around here … will try to find a subsitute … Laila .. http://limeandlemon.wordpress.com/
This recipe sounds delicious! thanks 🙂
This is one of the best granola bars that I have tasted.
yes, brown rice syrup. what is it and where does one find it?
http://www.lundberg.com/products/syrups.aspx
You can get it at most natural food stores, usually with other sugars, though I have seen it with the rice, which really makes no sense.
I just had a granola bar disaster. Even though I’m still smarting from the experience I may give these a try!
I’ll def make these as soon as get back off back! http://www.cookbystealth.wordpress.com
I just had this type of granola bar at a little retaurant chain called Cosi. Super expensive but so yummy. It had pepitas, oats, pistachios, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries. It was crispy, crunch and awesome. I had no idea what held it all together, but now I’m going to take your brown rice syrup idea and see what I can come up with. Yay!
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I was looking at the ingredients of my favorite natural ingredient granola bar (manufactured) when I decided to do a search for a similar recipe. I like to believe that if a product is good, one should be able to make something just as good and healthier (and cheaper) from scratch. This recipe is everything I’ve been looking for after a few unsatisfying attempts at making other granola bars. My husband and all 3 of my children loved them! The only thing I altered was that I added 2 Tbsp of natural peanut butter to make them closer to the ingredient list on my fave bar. I will never buy granola bars again! They are soft, chewy, flavorful, and they do not have that aftertaste so many store bought bars have. Thank you so much for sharing your labors!
Yum! I love homemade granola bars – they taste so much better then store-bought! I make mine with sweetened condensed milk instead of syrup.
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This is a great recipe to which I made some minor changes. I used a 6.5 x 10.5 metal pan instead of the 9×9 and substituted agave nectar in place of honey. To press down the granola mixture evenly, I used a drinking glass with a heavy flat bottom.