Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
After I graduated from college I did a short stint at an advertising agency and then I took my first full-time job in the cube-laden world of corporate America. As most young, eager college graduates, I looked at my new opportunity as a mountain of potential. I felt like a bona fide grown up – I got up early every morning, got dressed in my business casual attire, went to meetings, and became better at what I did. Ahh, the enthusiasm of the young buck (in my case, young doe, of course). By the end of my time in corporate America I had a plethora of stomach issues, was getting migraines about once every 7-10 days, and loathed my boss’ voice more than anything in the world. If I got to my desk in the morning and the red voicemail link was blinking (she was notorious for leaving messages at 5am, because she enjoyed working that early), I got nauseous. When I heard the wheels of her little pull-along briefcase rolling down the cube aisle I wanted to hide under my desk. The phrase “going above and beyond” was showing up in my nightmares. Clearly, corporate America had taken a toll on me. The one constant through all of my time spent there? Through the good, the bad, and the ugly?
Chocolate chip granola bars.
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I always had a box stashed in my desk drawer just in case I got a case of the hungries and had to rush off to a meeting or needed an afternoon pick-me-up. I loved that they were soft and chewy, and of course that they had chocolate in them. I am honestly not sure if I’ve eaten even one since I stopped working in an office, but they’re the one food that I associate with that time in my life. They got me through some killer afternoons.
Recently, one of my best friends mentioned that she was trying out some of my granola bar recipes to find a homemade replacement for her husband’s infatuation with the same packaged chewy chocolate chip granola bars that I loved. I wasn’t sure that any of them would be an exact match, but lo and behold less than a week later this recipe popped up on Lauren’s blog. I was certain that it was fate and set out to make them immediately so I could report back to my friend on a possible recipe for her. The verdict? These taste pretty much EXACTLY like the ones I lived on for years. They have a tad bit more honey flavor, but aside from that the flavor, the texture, the appearance – a spot-on match. I was astounded, actually! Throw in the fact that these can be whipped up in 10 minutes and require no oven, it’s pretty much a no-brainer to make these instead of going to the store to buy the packaged version!
This recipe is dedicated to everyone toiling away in a cubicle. Make these, keep them at your desk, and enjoy a homemade, non-processed treat when you get a craving in the middle of the work day.
Four years ago: French Bread
Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (73.33 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (84.75 ml) honey
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups (162 g) quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup (18.67 g) crispy rice cereal
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan; set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir the oats and rice cereal together; set aside. In a small saucepan, melt the brown sugar, honey, and butter together over medium-high heat until it begins to bubble. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the melted mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients. Pour the oat mixture into the prepared pan and press down to ensure that the ingredients are tightly compacted in the pan. Sprinkle the top evenly with the miniature chocolate chips and press down on the top lightly with the back of a spoon.
- Cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours, or until the chocolate chips are set before cutting into bars. Wrap in plastic wrap or keep in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I want to eat healthier and also be conscious of calories. Any idea as to if the calories would be the same as store bought bars or less?
Hi Kim, I haven’t figured out the caloric content of these bars, but I think there are some sites where you can put in ingredients and quantities and get the nutritional info. For comparison sake, it would all depend on what store bought brand you are looking at!
I just made these and they are perfect! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. It’s so simple I’m going to have my kids make the next batch.
I was wondering were the chips milkchocolate or semi sweer
Hi Alexa, Semisweet.
FREAKING A. Forgot the vanilla extract. Waiting for them to cool. Hope they turn out okay.. :c
Boy do these look amazing.
Passed the husband test!! He loves these things right out of the box, and was very skeptical. Quick, easy and yummy, and about 75 cents for 16 bars out of my 6×9 pan. Yay!
This a a fantastic recipe….incredibly easy, delicious and using ingredients I always have on hand. This is the perfect thing to send with my son in the morning when he leaves for school. A true winner!
This has definitely got to be one of the most useful recipes yo have at hand! Thanks a lot!
Michelle, Now I’ve done it. My son shared his granola bars with the crew team….it’s now a request for all their regattas!
I just made these, and they are addictively delicious and so easy! Thanks Michelle.
I made a batch last night and experiemented with old fashioned oatmeal. I put my rolled oats in my food processor and pulsed it a few times to break it up a bit. I then followed your directions. My son loves them and is walking out the door this morning with a fistful on his way to school. It’s a hit!
Oh my gosh. These are so good. Just had my first bite!
Since I don’t use quick oats, I put old fashioned oats in the blender and pulsed a few times. It worked perfectly. Also, I crushed a 70% chocolate bar (I didn’t have any chocolate chips) and put on top.
And..you are right….you really need to push the dough down and you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks again for your recipes. Always the best!
These look amazing Michelle! Love your packaging, too!
xo
http://allykayler.blogspot.com/
I too am toiling away at my entry-level job and can so relate to loathing hearing the sound of your boss’s voice! I totally need a granola bar like this to get me through. Your blog is wonderful by the way. I check it at least once a week!
I made these last night and just tried them and I have to say – DELICIOUS! I didn’t have mini choc-chips so I just used regular and they were fine. They were SO easy and quick. A new favorite!
oh yum, I need to try these! I can’t believe they taste like the store-bought ones, I haven’t found any that come close!
I used to keep a granola bars in my cube too! Thanks for recipe!
I made these last night with cinnamon and raisins instead of chocolate chips. They smelled wonderful, however I’m having problems getting them to set. Tried to take them out of the pan this morning and they’re falling apart. Any suggestions?
It sounds like they may not have been packed down enough. I used the back of a spoon to really press the mixture into the pan. Once they were cool I was able to loosen one side of the pan and pull the whole pan of granola out in one piece and then cut. I would try refrigerating or freezing briefly before trying to cut.
Ah… adding chocolate chips just makes these perfect. Gorgeous clicks M! :)
Sweet! My family loves these things but with three kids a box doesn’t last long at all!
These bars are so good!
Ah corporate American, isn’t it lovely?! If these bars got you through it, I need some ASAP! They look incredible. Chewy granola bars are my fav, must try!
These sound great and simple to make but… I almost ashamed to admit that I’m not a big chocolate fan. Do you have a recipe that would use peanut butter in it? Maybe just switching the choc chips with peanut butter chips would work? I’m giving it a try this weekend. Thanks.
You could definitely swap out the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips, and exchange half of the butter, and maybe a little of the honey for peanut butter.
These are now filed under “Make Immediately”. Yum!! My kids will think I’m a rockstar! Thanks!!
Saw these on her blog too and made them right away. Mine were a crumbly mess=( They taste wonderful though and my roommate decided it made a great cereal. So I followed his advice and had a bowl full covered in milk. Yum! I’ll have to try making them again with a bit less butter and little more cooking time. At least I know if that doesn’t work I’ll have a delicious bowl of cereal in my future=)
Never knew that corporate world is America is same/worse than that in India ! I have 2 kids and they love choco chip granola bars.Now I can make them at home with the help of your recipe..yayy !
Aw, thanks for the kind thoughts to those of us still toiling sitting on our bums at a desk all day :) These almost make up for the pain of it!
I need to actually make these. I’ve got a bunch of bookmarked recipes and need to stop being lazy! I’m sure once I make them, I’ll never buy Trader Joe’s version again!
Yummy! I used to eat Quaker Chewy Granola Bars every afternoon. I haven’t bought granola bars in a long time. Looks like I can make them myself now! Hurray!
i made these once i saw them on lauren’s blog and my kiddos LOVE them! we like the oatmeal raisin version she has on there too! yummy!