Crunchy Granola Bars {Copycat, Better than Nature Valley}

by Dorothy Reinhold on September 29, 2013


Print This Post Print This Post CRUNCHY GRANOLA BARS: Crispy, sweet and oaty, these classic granola bars beat Nature Valley’s version in our family taste test. They make a great soccer game snack, or nosh for a voracious teenager. #shockinglydelicious  #snacks   #snackattack  #granolabars  #copycatrecipe  #teenager

Crispy, sweet and oaty, these classic granola bars beat Nature Valley’s version in our family taste test. They make a great soccer game snack, or nosh for a voracious teenager.

With one hungry teenager and an athletic 6th grader and husband in my house, we stock a lot of granola bars in the pantry, for grab-and go.

Every once in awhile, I get a wild hair and decide I will make my own granola bars, but so far, I haven’t been extremely happy with them. Until now.

Crunchy Granola Bars (Better than Nature Valley) stacked 4 high on a plate on Shockingly DeliciousThis latest version is every bit as good — and arguably even better! — than the gold standard, which we consider to be Nature Valley Oats ‘n Honey Crunchy Nature Valley Crunchy Granola BarsGranola Bars. You know them — green box, classic flavor.

This version is BETTER. Yes, BETTER, I say!

Soccer snacks may never be the same.

Recipe: Crunchy Granola Bars (Better than Nature Valley)

Summary: Crispy, sweet and oaty, these classic granola bars beat Nature Valley’s version in our family taste test. They make a great soccer game snack, or nosh for a voracious teenager.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon Lyle’s Golden Syrup (or use honey)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350F degrees. Mist a 12- by 8-inch baking dish (I have a glass Pyrex dish this size) with nonstick spray, or grease it with butter, and set aside.
  2. Mix the oats, flour and coconut in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on the stove, and then add the salt, syrup and brown sugar. Stir and heat to a simmer. After it simmers, turn off the heat, add the vanilla and baking soda, and gently stir. The mixture will foam up slightly and lighten in color, thickening somewhat. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir by hand.
  4. Turn the mixture out of the pan into the prepared baking dish, and tamp it down, using an offset spatula or the back of a metal spoon.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F degrees, and then turn the oven down to 325F degrees and bake for another 10 minutes, until golden brown.
  6. Remove pan from oven and cool it completely. Invert pan onto a cutting board and the block of cookies should pop out of the pan. Give it a tap if it doesn’t.
  7. Cut into 36-40 bars.
  8. VARIATIONS: Please see the variety of suggestions in the reader comments below. People have been experimenting with them!

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Diet type: Vegetarian
Number of servings (yield): 36
Culinary tradition: USA (General)
My rating 5 stars:  ★★★★★ 

areyoupinningIf you like this recipe and want to save it, pin the image below to your Pinterest board.

Crunchy Granola Bars stacked on a plate and cut on a cutting board on Shockingly Delicious

brown protein bars on a white table by masala herbAnd if you want to try another snack-type bar for your athletes to munch, try this homemade protein bar (gluten-free, without protein powder) by my pal Helene. →

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