Chewy Pantry Granola Bars
I call these “pantry” granola bars because as long as you follow the ratios listed below, you can pull from whatever ingredients you have on hand. I tend to have multiple bags with just a small handful of nuts left and half empty jars of almond butter and tahini sitting in the fridge. This is the perfect way to use up those ingredients. Feel free to pool together some different nut butters to get you to the 1 cup or mix a bunch of nuts and seeds until the cup is filled. You can also go in the complete opposite direction and go for a minimal nut and fruit pairing. Peanuts and blueberries? Almonds and cherries? Pistachios and apricots? The possibilities really are endless.
For the bars in the pictures, I used half almond butter and half tahini, honey, puffed millet, dried cranberries, a mixed cup of almonds, pistachios, pepitas, and sesame seeds, and finally cinnamon. Having made various iterations with these ingredients, I can certainly attest to them being a top notch combo that I would highly recommend.
While the recipe says to use unsalted nut butters and nuts, if all you have is salted, that’s totally fine! Just mix everything together, minus the added salt, and taste the mixture before you press it into the pan and bake. That way you can add any additional salt if you think it needs it. One of the beauties of making something like granola is that you can taste as you go. I personally like a little touch of saltiness to balance out the sweetness of the bars.
As a final note, if you’re more of a granola person, this can absolutely be baked as a loose granola rather than bars. Just spread the unbaked mixture onto a larger sheet tray (sprayed and lined with parchment). Let it bake for about 20-25 minutes, until it has taken on a bit of a toasty golden color and is no longer wet/sticky. The mixture should have firmed up a bit, but still have a little softness to it, as it will continue to harden as it cools. Once cool, break apart the larger chunks and store as described in the recipe.
Makes: 12 bars
Active time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes, plus several hours cooling time
Ingredients
1 cup nut and/or seed butter, unsalted (preferably natural)
1/2 cup honey, maple syrup, or agave
1 cup old fashioned oats (not quick cooking)
1 cup puffed cereal (millet or rice)
1/2 cup dried fruit, unsweetened, roughly chopped if larger than a cranberry
1 cup nuts and/or seeds, unsalted, roughly chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon spices (optional)
Method
Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare a quarter sheet tray by lightly spraying with cooking spray or brushing with a neutral oil.
In a small saucepan, heat the 1 cup nut/seed butter and 1/2 cup honey/maple/agave over low heat. Warm just until the two are combined and the mixture is a thinner, more viscous consistency. Be careful to not scald the mixture, as the honey can easily burn. All we want is to make these thick, sticky ingredients pourable and spreadable. Once ready, turn off the heat, but keep it on the stovetop to stay warm.
In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients - 1 cup oats, 1 cup puffed cereal, 1/2 cup dried fruit, 1 cup nuts/seeds, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 tablespoon spices - and mix to combine.
Pour the warmed nut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula to fully combine.
Pour granola mixture into the prepared sheet tray. Spread to the edges with the spatula and then use the flat bottom of a large measuring cup to press the granola into a flat even layer. If the granola is sticking to the bottom of the measuring cup, spray or brush it with a touch of neutral oil.
Bake the granola for 15 minutes. It should be a bit puffed, have a light golden color, and smell toasty. While it it still warm, carefully and lightly press the granola down with the bottom of a measuring cup, just as you did before baking. This will ensure the granola forms a solid structure as it cools.
Allow the granola to fully cool in the pan. This will take several hours. I sometimes like to even let it fully set overnight, just make sure to cover the tray if you leave it for more than a few hours. If you turn out the granola and cut it too quickly, the bars are more likely to crumble or break apart when cut.
Once the granola has fully set, run a mini offset spatula or a butter knife along the edges, between the granola and the pan to release it. Lay a cutting board on top of the tray, and holding both the tray and cutting board, flip so the tray is now laying upside down on the board. Give the tray a few taps to release the granola.
Using a large chef’s knife, cut the granola bars into your desired shape and size.
Granola bars can be kept in an airtight container, at room temperature, up to 1 week.
