Baby boy will be here any day now (the three of us can’t wait!) and other than furiously cleaning and re-cleaning my house, I’m trying to prep meals and snacks for us to have when we get home from the hospital. I didn’t do a whole lot of food prep before I had James and I wish I had because we resorted to a ton of takeout and lots of convenient but not quite nourishing packaged snacks. So here’s one of the wholesome snacks I’ve made for us:
Chewy Coconut Pecan Granola Bars with Cranberries
They’re sweet and coconutty, nutritious and super satisfying, made with whole grain oats, coconut oil, and pecans, the latter of which provide plant-based protein (3g), fiber (3g), and monounsaturated “good” fats (12 g) in every 1-ounce serving.
There are 3 keys to making sure the bars stick together and don’t crumble when you cut them:
- Mixing the wet and dry ingredients really, really well (ensuring that all of the dry ingredients get coated in the sticky honey mixture).
- Pressing the granola very firmly into the pan (really pack it in there using a rubber spatula and damp hands).
- Refrigerate the bars for at least 2 hours after baking (before cutting).
- Store the cut granola bars in the fridge, covered, for best texture, for up to a week.
Chewy Coconut Pecan Granola Bars with Cranberries
Ingredients
- ½ cup pecans, finely chopped
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup crispy rice cereal
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- ⅓ cup coconut oil (I measure it while solid)
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil. Spray the foil with cooking oil spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the pecans, oats, cereal, cranberries, and coconut flakes.
- In a small saucepan, heat the coconut oil, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt over medium heat until the coconut oil is melted and the sugar has dissolved.
- Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir well to coat all of the dry ingredients.
- Transfer the granola mixture to the prepared pan and use a rubber spatula to firmly press the mixture into the pan. Moisten your fingers with water and press again to really pack the bars down (this will help prevent them from crumbling later).
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and use a rubber spatula to pack the mixture down once more. Bake for an additional 7 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Cut into 12 bars.
- Bars will keep for 5-7 days in an airtight container at room temperature, but they hold their shape better if stored in the refrigerator!
Good prep there Andie and I am sure that will make the adjustments to life as a family of four much easier. Each baby brings a new routine with their new personality added to a family. I have three and each one was so different but wonderfully fun. I have to tell you three was the right number. If one was not in a good mood the other two always had each other to play with. By the way these bars look yummy and could you have cut them any more perfectly. So even handed there. Hugs and excited to see new baby photos with big brother and Mommy and Daddy. Judy
I tried the chewy coconut pecan recipe, it was delicious! I just switched out cranberries for raisins, and kids love them.. Thanks again..
Stacy
Excellent recipe!!
So, I’m very dumb and thought I’d add choc chips (I subbed chopped dried cherries I had on hand for the cranberries and thought it’d go well with the flavors) BUT I forgot the syrup was still pretty hot… so of course it melted the chocolate while mixing!
The good news is if you’re a chocolate lover, this didn’t ruin the consistency if you wanna add 1/2c to the syrup (I don’t normally like chocolate in my granola bars so I probably won’t do again.)
But these still turned out amazing and I’ll make them the proper way next time. Awesome chewy granola bar base, just what I’ve been looking for.