*This post contains affiliate links* I started making this recipe years ago after I read the label on store bought granola bars and realized they weren’t as healthy as I thought they were. Sometimes I wrap these individually so we can take them along just like the store bought kind. If we just plan to eat them at home, I usually skip the extra work and just store them in an air tight container separated by wax paper.
- 2 cups oats
- 1 cup crushed nuts *
- 1/4 cup chia seeds**
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed**
- 1/4 cup millet**
- 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2/3 cup sucanat (or substitute brown sugar)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup craisins (optional)
- 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)
- Mix first six ingredients (oats, nuts, chia seeds, flax seed, millet, and sunflower seeds) together in a bowl.
- Put the butter, honey, sucanat, vanilla, and salt into a small sauce pan and heat on low stirring occasionally until everything is melted.
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until well blended.
- Add any or all of the optional ingredients.
- Place a piece of wax paper in a 9x13 inch dish.
- Pour mixture into dish and put another piece of wax paper on top.
- Press the mixture or roll with a roller until it is packed well.
- Let sit for 1-3 hours or until completely cooled.
- Flip dish over and peel off wax paper.
- Cut into granola bar shapes and wrap individually in plastic wrap or layer in container with wax paper.
* Use whatever nuts you prefer. We usually use a combination of walnuts, pecans, almonds, and/or peanuts. If you have nut allergies you can also substitute other dry ingredients for the nuts - more oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, millet, etc.
** The thing I love about this recipe is that it's so adaptable. Any of the dry ingredients can be substituted for other dry ingredients. If we're out of one ingredient I just substitute something else.