These no-bake chocolate granola are chewy and sweet with a bit of crunch and a touch of peanut butter. No need to heat up the oven - Just 30 minutes to make and packed with flavor!
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Are chocolate granola bars healthy?
Let's be honest - between the chocolate chips, the syrup, the nut butter and the almonds, this granola bar recipe is neither low sugar or low fat. They certainly aren't low in calories!
But I guess if you need your chocolate fix, this is a much healthier choice than my homemade crunch bar or anything you can buy at the grocery store.
On the other hand, the almonds and nut butter do make this a higher protein granola bar than many. The oats even add some fiber.
You can always make it as healthy as possible by using natural nut butters, pure maple syrup, etc.
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Are these granola bars vegan? Gluten-Free?
If you stick to maple syrup as your sweetener, they are vegan.
As long as you use gluten free oats, they are gluten free. While most oats are gluten free, many brands can't guarantee that there won't be some traces due to cross contamination.
Ingredients
- maple syrup
- peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter
- coconut oil
- vanilla extract
- salt
- cinnamon
- rolled oats and quick oats
- shredded coconut
- mini chocolate chips
- whole almonds
Rolled oats or quick oats?
I used both in this recipe because the rolled oats give these granola bars some chewiness. If you don't have both kinds of oats in your home then you can easily just use 2 cups of quick oats.
I don't think that I would recommend 2 cups of rolled oats because that would probably make them TOO chewy!
What kind of syrup should I use?
I strongly suggest that you use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup. In most cases, pancake syrup is nothing more than high-fructose corn syrup mixed with flavoring and color.
If you decide to use pancake syrup, you may need to use more, to taste. Pure maple syrup is sweeter than pancake syrup...and this chocolate granola bar recipe uses pure maple syrup.
If pure maple syrup is too expensive, or you just don't care about the maple flavor, you can always substitute in a half cup honey for the syrup.
How to Store Them
Your chocolate granola bars will keep in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for about 3 days.
You can also wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer for up to six months.
Try these variations!
Cranberry Chocolate Almond: swap out the maple syrup for honey and add ½ cup dried cranberries
Apricot Almond Granola Bars: omit the chocolate chips, use honey instead of maple syrup and add ½ cup chopped dried apricots
No Bake Chocolate Granola Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup peanut, almond or cashew butter
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 ½ cup quick oats
- ⅓ cup shredded coconut + more for topping
- ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup almonds
Instructions
- Line an 8" square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil
- In a medium saucepan (preferably non-stick), combine maple syrup, coconut oil and nut butter. Heat over medium heat until it is well combined½ cup maple syrup, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, ½ cup peanut, almond or cashew butter
- Remove the pan from the heat
- Add the chocolate chips and stir until melted and well-combined⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Add the coconut, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon and almonds. Stir to combine.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅓ cup almonds, ⅓ cup shredded coconut
- Add the oats and stir until well mixed.½ cup rolled oats, 1 ½ cup quick oats
- Spread the mixture in to the prepared pan (Hint: use another piece of parchment paper to press the mixture to the edges and level it)
- Sprinkle shredded coconut on top and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until hardened⅓ cup shredded coconut
- Cut the chocolate granola bars in to 10 equal portions
