By Mark Bittman
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- 4(220)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Many granola bars are assumed to be healthy, but aren’t. These are. A combination of granola, almonds, apricots and crisp brown rice, the recipe is wide open to interpretation as long as you keep the ratio of glue (the almond butter and honey mixture) to granola and mix-ins about the same. Mix everything together, press it into an oiled dish lined with plastic wrap, and throw it all in the fridge for an hour. These bars are more chewy than crunchy, and will fit well into a child’s lunch bag or a grown-up’s breakfast plate.
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Ingredients
Yield:about 16 to 20 granola bars
- ½cup almond butter or other nut butter
- ½cup honey
- 1cup crispy brown rice cereal
- 1cup granola
- ½cup almonds, chopped
- ½cup dried apricots, chopped
- ¼teaspoon salt
- Vegetable oil for greasing
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (18 servings)
146 calories; 9 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 36 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Preparation
Step
1
Put almond butter and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until they melt together; whisk to combine.
Step
2
Put the crispy cereal, granola, almonds, apricots and salt in a bowl and add the mixture of almond butter and honey; stir well to combine.
Step
3
Grease a 7- or 8-inch-square baking dish with a little oil and line it with plastic wrap. Spread the granola mixture evenly into the dish, pressing down gently, and cover with more plastic wrap; refrigerate until set, at least one hour. Once set, remove by lifting the edges of the plastic wrap out of the dish; peel off the plastic and cut the bars to any size you like.
Ratings
4
out of 5
220
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Chantelle
Why oil the pan and then put plastic wrap on top?
Lisa
add dried cranberries and sunflower seeds
swap out honey for maple syrup
Arl Cooker
No need for the glass dish and plastic. Put a silicone mat on a baking sheet and create your slab there by putting your hands under the mat and folding it upwards to create a square with the mix.
rhosa
Made these and put them into 20 silicone mini-muffin molds. Call them “Bittman balls.” Will add more fiber and protein next time. Bittman Balls are a keeper.
todd sf
I used parchment paper on a cookie sheet, no oil. Pressed it out with another sheet on top and let set- came out perfectly, no sticking…..
rhosa
Made these and put them into 20 silicone mini-muffin molds. Call them “Bittman balls.” Will add more fiber and protein next time. Bittman Balls are a keeper.
M.Pook
I agree with Katherine; leaving the bars in the fridge overnight is key. They hold together quite nicely after that.
todd sf
I used parchment paper on a cookie sheet, no oil. Pressed it out with another sheet on top and let set- came out perfectly, no sticking…..
Katherine
One of the best homemade granola recipes I've ever made! The rice cereal really makes a difference. I just layed foil down in my square pan instead of greasing and that made clean up a lot easier. I used chocolate chips instead of apricots because that's all I had on hand - probably not the best idea since most of the chocolate melted when I stirred in the hot honey/nut butter mixture. I let everything set overnight in my fridge and they were perfect to cut and snack on the next morning.
Centreville MD
Delicious, though they fell apart. I’d call them “clusters” rather than bars. Eat with a fork.
kareng
Should these be refrigerated? Thinking of taking these on a trip, any thoughts?
megoc
What sort of cereal do you recommend? I figure we are not considering Rice Krispies.
Arl Cooker
No need for the glass dish and plastic. Put a silicone mat on a baking sheet and create your slab there by putting your hands under the mat and folding it upwards to create a square with the mix.
Antigone
I find that using brown rice syrup (instead of honey) works well as a binder.
Oesaloe
Way too sweet and fell apart :-(
Lisa z
The "glue" needs something that will harden when cool such as sugar or maple syrup. I suspect adding maple syrup instead of honey and baking for a short bit would do wonders in holding everything together but would obviously change the recipe a bit.
Rebecca T.
These are great, with tons of possibilities; like when you’re trying to find a use for that last bit of peanut butter. Instead of using granola, I toasted a cup of rolled oats and used them instead. Also, I agree with Chantelle, I just buttered the pan sans plastic wrap. Why create more waste?
LT
Spraying the pan before plastic wrap just helps the plastic wrap stick or stay in place in the pan. It's not necessary but definitely helpful.
Ivy
Was it me? I’d made these to give as a gift, but they completely fell apart. So did I (well, not completely). Seriously, these are reasonably tasty, but they do not hold together at all. They might be better rolled in something (coconut or cocoa powder, for example) but don’t plan on cutting them into bars.
Chantelle
Why oil the pan and then put plastic wrap on top?
Scott
The oil helps the plastic adhere to the pan so that it doesn't slide around when you spread the mix.
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