Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are a highly addicting and simply irresistible homemade gluten free granola bar recipe! Baked peanut butter granola bars have the perfect sweet and salty mix with oats, honey, chocolate chips, peanut butter, and dried fruit.

If you are uninspired by granola bars, than these soft and chewy chocolate chip granola bars beg to differ. I have never encountered a granola bar recipe more addictive.

In fact, I’ll let you on a little secret. 

After the kids have enjoyed their token one or two bars, they disappear. Not vanish completely, just relocated to an area I will only look (the freezer). 

Luckily, Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are just as amazing frozen as they are thawed. Often, I don’t have the patience for them to come to room temperature, so I nibble on frozen bars.

Noshing on frozen bars also significantly reduces my “serving size” and slows down consumption. Plus, if I have visual on these things, there is no stopping at one! 

This is just one of those recipes, like my homemade granola, applesauce muffins, banana baked oatmeal recipes, where tasting is believing. Who knew something as ordinary as oats could be so deceptively irresistible?

Please give this recipe a try! 

Trick for Making Granola Bars Stick Together

Sometimes baked granola bars have the tendency to fall apart once they are cut. This recipe includes easy tricks for avoiding this!

Ingredients – Add wet ingredients to bind or “glue” the oats and add ins together. In this recipe honey, corn syrup, peanut butter, and butter do this.

While the dry ingredients can be modified and swapped out, the wet ingredients need to stay consistent. Otherwise the granola bars will fall apart and not be a very transportable snack.

Pressing – Once the ingredients are mixed together press them firmly into the pan. Cover the pan with a large piece of plastic wrap. Press press down on top of the bars all the way to the edges before removing and baking.

Cooling – When the baked bars come out of the oven cool them completely in the pan first. After cooling transfer the pan to the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Then lift the bars from the pan and cut. At this point they may be stored at room temperature. The initial refrigeration just helps further solidify the bars before cutting. 

Can I Replace the Butter for Oil?

Yes and no. Replacing the butter with an oil, such as coconut oil or vegetable oil, will still make a great tasting granola bar. However, the bars will not stick together as well.

Using oils for the fat works better in no bake granola bar recipes instead of baked ones. 

Can I Replace the Corn Syrup?

As far as the corn syrup, you may swap it out for additional honey, maple syrup or brown rice syrup. However, there will be a trade off with how well they stick together and the chewiness.

A little bit of corn syrup is the magic ingredient for keeping these baked granola bars chewy and in solid form.

Corn syrup is a refined sugar, but it is not the same as manufactured high fructose corn syrup. To read more about the difference between the two check out this article. 

Karo brand corn syrup does not contain HFCS (high fructose corn sugar), but not all corn syrups are created equal. Read the ingredient list to make sure.

Granola Bar Add Ins

Another fantastic thing about this gluten free granola bar recipe is you can make it how you like it! Below I listed what I typically add. Feel free to swap out ingredients and adjust as long as you have about 2 1/2 cups total.

• chopped nuts – any kind!
• dried fruits – cranberries, raisins, diced apricots, cherries or diced dates
• sunflower seeds
• coconut – sweetened or unsweetened
• pepitas
• baking chips – chocolate chips, white chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch
• puffed rice cereal 
• M&Ms
• crushed pretzels

Homemade Gluten Free Granola Bars 

Making homemade granola bars is the best way to make sure your granola bars are in fact gluten free! A lot of store bought granola bars don’t contain gluten, but they may be processed on equipment that shares gluten products. 

Eliminate your risk of cross contamination by making gluten free granola bars at home and using only ingredients you trust.

Use oats that are certified gluten free. This means they were processed in a dedicated facility that doesn’t share equipment with wheat products. 

This recipe uses oat flour, which is naturally gluten free if it has been made using certified gluten free oats. To make your own oat flour pulverize oats in a food processor or blender until they reach a flour consistency.

I’ve also substituted coconut flour or almond flour for the oat flour when I’ve been too lazy to make my own. Oat flour may also be purchased.

This granola bar recipe also adds puffed rice cereal, which adds a little extra crunch. Most commonly Rice Krispies are used, but these aren’t gluten free due to the malt flavoring added.

For true gluten free granola bars make sure to use a cereal labeled gluten free, such as Nature’s Path brand. I typically use Aldi’s brand rice cereal, which doesn’t contain gluten ingredients, but isn’t certified to not be cross-contaminated.

How to Make Homemade Chocolate Chip Granola Bar Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 9X13″ pan with a large piece of foil or parchment paper. The paper should be long enough to lift the bars out of the pan. 

2. Mix together dry ingredients such as, quick cooking oats, rice cereal, brown sugar, oat flour, salt, chopped nuts, coconut, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips, in a large bowl.

3. Melt butter and stir in creamy peanut butter, vanilla, corn syrup, honey, and water. Whisk egg into peanut butter mixture.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredient bowl and stir to combine. Press down FIRMLY into prepared baking pan. Cover the pan with a large piece of plastic wrap. Press press down on top of the bars all the way to the edges.

5. Bake bars 25-30 minutes, until edges are golden brown and center is set. 

Storing Chewy Granola Bars

Homemade granola bars are great for snacks, grab and go breakfasts, homemade gifts, or to take on road trips. They are handedly better than any store bought granola bars I’ve ever tasted, and so much cheaper!

How to Freeze

Chocolate chip granola bars are very freezer friendly! 

To prepare them ahead of time make the peanut butter granola bars and allow them to cool completely in the pan. Once they have cooled move the pan to the refrigerator to further solidify the ingredients.

Lift the bars out of the pan by using the parchment paper “handles” and set on a cutting board.

Cut into small squares or rectangle shaped bars. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap and transfer to an airtight container or ziplock freezer bag. 

Freeze bars up to 3 months. When ready to eat just take out what you need and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a true emergency, I have been known to use the defrost option on my microwave!

How Long Do Chocolate Chip Granola Bars Last?

Chewy peanut butter granola bars last about 1 week when wrapped individually with plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container. 

To extend their longevity these may also be stored in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. For best results still wrap individually with plastic wrap first so they don’t dry out. 

These bars may also be frozen for storing longer. Place individually wrapped bars in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months.

Tips for Making the Best Peanut Butter Granola Bars

• For an extra treat dip bottoms in melted chocolate. Place on wax paper to harden completely before storing.
• Peanut butter lover? Use chopped peanuts in the recipe. Melt 1/4 cup peanut butter chips and drizzle on top.
• Leave the bars in the pan until they have completely cooled. Move the cooled pan to the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cutting to prevent them from breaking apart.
• The recipe calls for quick cooking oats which are smaller than rolled oats. Old fashioned oats may be substituted but they may break apart more.
• Instead of oat flour, substitute almond flour or coconut flour. 

More Gluten Free Breakfast Recipes 

• Sausage Breakfast Casserole is an easy egg bake recipe combining hash browns, sausage, peppers, onions, and layers of cheese.
• Double Chocolate Pancakes are thick and fluffy, loaded with gooey chocolate chips and uses simple ingredients.
• Almond Flour Banana Muffins are high in protein, naturally sweetened, and gluten free, but taste like a heavenly indulgence!
• Breakfast Egg Muffins are an easy make-ahead breakfast for entertaining or a low carb, healthy, grab-and-go option for busy mornings.
• Creamy Grits recipe are no fail, fluffy, and the best grits you’ll ever eat! 
• Flourless Pancakes mix up quickly in a blender, have a tender, light banana oatmeal texture, and are naturally gluten free.

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