Cranberry Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
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For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been a fan of granola bars. Though to be fair it use to be the chewier variety, specifically the ones with itty bitty marshmallows and chocolate chips. Yum! I’m such a kid. I can’t help it. S’mores in granola bar shape. It’s just perfect. Then one day I came across my next granola love. It was packed with dark chocolate and cranberries. And because this is how things always seem to go… they disappeared. I couldn’t find them anywhere. The best granola bar on the face of the planet (at the time) was no more. I searched high and low with zero luck. I knew the only way to have them again was to recreate them myself. I easily had this thought years ago.
I finally made them. I bought a bag of dried cranberries last week with no real plans for them. I just knew I’d want some at some point in the coming weeks. Who knew I’d use them twice in one weekend?! I love cranberries in all forms… fresh, juice, dried, jellied…whatever. They’re amazing and my second favorite fruit on the planet, next to apples of course.
Maybe it’s my New England roots. I don’t know. But I have a deep love for all things cranberry. Not only do they give an amazingly (and perfect) sweet punch I’m looking for, but they’re healthy for you. Double bonus… tasty and good?! They’re a perfect compliment to chocolate, so these granola bars really have it all.
These chewy granola bars are a blend of sweet and chocolate perfection. Wrap these up and enjoy on the go, send along with your kids for school lunch or snack!
Cranberry Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 C old fashioned oats
- 1 C Rice Krispie cereal
- 6 Tbsp dried cranberries
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 C honey
- 1/3 C light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2-3 Tbsp mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl mix oats, cereal and dried cranberries.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, honey and brown sugar. Stir to combine. When mixture begins to bubble, add vanilla. Reduce heat to low, allowing to cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Pour hot liquid mixture over dry ingredients. Stir well with a rubber spatula until ingredients are coated well. Transfer to greased pan. Spread out evenly and press down firmly. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, press down into mixture. Allow to sit for several hours before cutting into. If mixture has not set, chill for 15-20 minutes before cutting into.
- Wrap and store bars in an airtight container.
Notes
Homemade granola bars are so much better. And cranberry and chocolate are lovely together!
I make granola all of the time but have never made bars. Isn’t that odd of me?! :)
Granola bars are and always have been my favorite snack. Though I like mine crunchy. Cranberries are also up there in my favorites… I have always wanted to visit the bogs on the cape but have never been. Maybe this fall I will go!
I grew up on the south shore and have always wanted to do that too. Maybe I’ll get to it this or next year!
The chewy granola bars were totally my biggest vice too! But chocolate and cranberry is the adult version of ’em. Good call!
Love these, Rachel! Nothing beats homemade granola bars, and this combo is just perfect. I just might need to whip these up today! :)
Homemade granola bars are the best and we always have them around for breakfast and snacks! I love this variation!
What a fun idea! And I love that you used Rice Krispies!! Lovely! I wonder if our Kellogg’s FiberPlus cereals would work too? Seems like a great way to boost the fiber content of an already delicious looking treat.
These granola bars look perfect, Rachel! Love that they have all kinds of delish fall flavors in them, too. Great recipe and photos!
Granola bars are my weakness! They look fantastic!
I love soft and chewy granola bars. The cranberries in these are a winner!
I’m addicted to granola bars too, and I’ve tried several times to make them. My first try was way too sweet and gooey. My next several were just bad. And the most recent came out more like an oatmeal cookie. So I’m definitely trying these out, because they look just like the store bought kind I can’t live without!
these are so pretty and perfect! i love granola bars too :) they’re super great to have as snacks…and to eat 1 after another ;)
Yum! I love dried cranberries (I’m not a huge raisin fan, so cranberries it is). These look so good! I can’t wait to try them. Pinned!
I’ve been wanting to try and make my own granola bars…since I eat one everyday on my drive to work…have the dried cranberries in my pantry so perfect recipe to start with!
Love the pictures– yay for granola bars :)
I love all this granola bar craze!!! Too much fun. I can’t wait to try my hand at making some :)
this sounds fabulous and perfect for fall!!!
I’m just wondering if I subsitute the cranberries for pomegranate (ocean spray now has dried fruit!) if it will still be a good combination? heck, anything with fruit and chocolate is a good combination!
going to try these out
You could definitely make that substitution, especially if you prefer it over cranberries! :)
Would it be possible to bake them a little to have them crunchier? Sometimes I like Chewy, but sometimes I like crunchy too… These look simple and yummy, I’m sure my toddler will love them! I like that it uses ingredients I always have on hand.
I’m not sure how well these would bake, but you could certainly try. Just don’t blame me if they don’t turn out! :) I know there are crunchier recipes out there and at some point I do plan on trying one and will share if it turns out.
How long will these keep? (Either in a container or frozen?)
These look amazing! If they taste anything like the cranberry chocolate granola bars I usually buy, I’ll be set. And I’ll have to make them even healthier since they may become breakfast on the go, every day.
I was so excited when I found this yesterday! I immediately made a batch. They were delish but did not stay together at all. We ended up eating them over vanilla icecream. Yum!!!! But, I tried again today and just can not get it right. Yours looks so pretty and like bars. Mine just fall right apart. Any thoughts I. What I am doing wrong? Thank you!!!!
I was able to keep mine mostly together but they are definitely softer chewy granola bars, not firm. Shaping and pressing together is definitely key with this, but I like your method of using it as ice cream topping when all else fails. :)
Made these yesterday and they did not hold together. I did chill them, too. But once they get remotely “warm” they fall apart again. Any suggestions? More honey and brown sugar syrup? Thanks.
I followed your instructions but added crushed almonds to the dry ingredients. The outcome was – the granola bars did not set. It tastes great but I have to eat it our of a bowl.
I’m sorry to hear they didn’t set up for you. They definitely are not firm/crispy granola bars, but they should still hold a shape.