Moist and Chewy low fat granola bars loaded with chocolate chips, raisins and pecans in every bite. Perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
You're probably wondering why I am posting so many baked recipes in this heat but I am having some work done to my house and it's really hard to cook around here this week. I made these last week knowing things would be chaotic around here... you are going to love these!!!
I cut them in long bars like the granola bars you buy in the store, but it's actually a lot easier to cut them in squares which is how I will make them in the future.
If you are a regular on my site, you might notice the similarities to my chewy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies! I used that recipe as a base and made some modifications to create this as a bar. I knew they would work out great and they disappeared quickly in my house as you can see by the photo, they almost left me nothing to photograph!
Low Fat Chewy Granola Bars with Pecans, Raisins and Chocolate Chips
Servings: 16 • Size: 1 square or bar • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 183.1 • Fat: 7.8 g • Carb: 29.7 g • Fiber: 2.6 g • Protein: 2.8 g • Sugar: 17.4
Sodium: 162.5
Ingredients:
- 1 cup oat flour* (or 1 cup oats finely ground in food processor or blender)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups quick oats*
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°; line a 9 x 9 baking pan with 2 long pieces of parchment paper, long enough to go up over the sides for easy removal. Lightly spray with oil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
In a large bowl, with a mixer cream together the butter and the sugar on medium speed.
Add the egg followed by the honey, applesauce and vanilla extract.
Working by hand, stir in the flour mixture and the oats until just combined and no streaks of flour remain; stir in the chocolate chips, raisins and nuts.
Spoon oats onto prepared baking dish, flattening to make even. Bake for about 23-25 minutes, or until light brown at the edges. They will seem soft and undercooked, but once they cool they will set completely.
Cool completely on a wire rack then refrigerate before cutting. This will help them hold together better. To cut use a long serrated bread knife and cut in a sawing motion.
Try them with cranberries instead of raisins, you can replace the chocolate chips with mini m and m's, leave the nuts out, add coconut, whatever you like!!























I just got very inspired by this! I'm on my way out the door to buy granola bars for my hubbies lunches. Wouldn't it be cheaper and tastier to just make them? With this recipe, of course!!! :D
ReplyDeleteYes! You can alter them to your taste!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of making homemade instead of buying them at the store!
ReplyDeleteI'm making these ASAP! I love the healthy twist.
ReplyDeletequestion - i dont have oat flour, i plan on using 1 cup oats finely ground in food processor - should i measure 1c of oats before processing or after? I am assuming after because 1c whole will produce <1c after
ReplyDeleteDo you have wax paper in the prepared baking dish?
ReplyDeleteRevision: CAN you use wax paper in the prepared baking dish instead of parchment paper. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI would measure the oats after to be sure.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about wax paper, I think it would be fine. It is just to help you pull it out after it bakes. I used one sheet but after doing so realized 2 sheets would have been easier.
Looks yummy! I made your chocolate chip oatmeal cookies last week, they are sooooo good.. !
ReplyDeleteI get that the concept is for it to be healthier and better for you, however, the points plus value is awfully high! The Chewy Granola bars you buy in the store are only 3 points compared to the 5 points you have posted here.
ReplyDeleteWell anonymous you should choose to not make them instead of making unappreciated comments. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI appreciated her pointing that out. These bars are high in points. Please don't censor others comments just because you don't agree.
DeleteThese look so good. I added them to this weeks have to try and grocery list. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Gina. I will have to try this recipe. I will leave the raisins out, maybe I can replace them with coconut (just use the amount to equal the same points value.) I've started to exercise and begin my weight lose journey, however I must change my eating habits as well. Thanks so much for your inspiration and recipes. Look forward to more coming, Thanks Tammy
ReplyDeleteI've started making my own granola so I think this recipe sounds great! I might have to make these next time instead!
ReplyDeleteIf people are concerned about the Points I'm sure leaving out the chocolate chips would help.
I agree that while they are more calories/points than store bought granola bars, they are better for you than the ones you can buy at the stores..... also, you know exactly what goes in them.
ReplyDeleteIf I don't use the pecans in this recipe, how many points would it be?
ReplyDeleteYum...I'm excited to try these. We are a family of granola bar eaters, so I'm sure they will be a hit!
ReplyDeletethose look great. any idea what I can substitute for the egg? My daughter is allergic to eggs. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI don't think the person who mentioned that the point value is high was being unappreciative, she was just statinng the fact. -they are right, it is pretty high!!
ReplyDeleteThese granola bars look wonderful! And such better ingredients than store-bought.
ReplyDeleteThese may be a little larger than store bought, I'm not exactly sure.
ReplyDeleteNothing beats homemade and knowing what goes into the food you eat and feed your family, but if this seems high for some of you, just don't make them.
Without the nuts still 5 points plus.
Without the chocolate, 4 points plus.
Hi Lisah,
ReplyDeleteI made them tonight and I used Ener-G egg replacer instead of eggs. They tasted great! However, my batch came out REALLY ooey & gooey. I couldn't figure out why. Then I realized I forget to add the 2 cups of oats. Talk about a blonde moment! I will definitely make these again... until then I have really delicious gooey cookies that need to be eaten with a spoon.
This looks great!! Delicious, i will make this recipe for my grannys birthday next week!!!
ReplyDeleteYum! I love the idea of coconut too. I think I'll give them a go with nuts, chocolate and coconut. Fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful! Kind of less guild snack bar during my stress time in office.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like about homemade is that you can control the sweetness. I think the store bought granola bars are way too sweet.
ReplyDeleteGina, I just to say THANK YOU so much for sharing this and all the wonderful recipes that you do! Your hard work here inspires so many to want to feed their families better and makes being/becoming healthier a delicious and enjoyable process. Hugs to you! --Tabby
ReplyDeleteI have made bars similar to these for my kids. I used almonds and dried cherries and dark chocolate. So good! You can try rolling them into bite sized balls before baking instead of bars if you want just a taste for lower points.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest NOT using wax paper to bake instead of parchment paper. I learned this quite by accident on a recipe last year. The wax on the paper has a far lower smoke point that parchment paper and will fill your kitchen with an acrid smelling smoke while the item bakes and it may very well stick to the bars as the wax melts.
ReplyDeleteThese look similiar to bars that I was making from a Whole Foods recip, you can always cut into smaller squares for less points plus value and enjoy with a greek yogurt or a piece of fruit to help fill you up. They look quite yummy. I may be baking some this weekend.
Ooo I would love M&M granola bars! I have only made crunchy granola bars so I'd love to make chewy. I'd like to add flax seed as well.
ReplyDeleteLove these! The one's with the M&Ms are especially pretty!
ReplyDeleteLisah- oops!!
ReplyDeleteEmely- Happy birthday Granny!!
Thanks Tabby, you are very sweet!!
Thanks about the suggestion not to use wax paper, I've never used it to bake, only use it for easy clean-up.
Hi, these were yummy. I subbed the honey for maple syrup. I found them kinda soft, more like a cookie. Do you think it's because I used syrup. Anyway, delish :)
ReplyDeleteGina,
ReplyDeleteIf I grind my oats to make the oat flour, can I use the quick oats here as well, or should I use old-fashioned oats for this ingredient. Thanks!
Making this today. Oh ya, this sounds and looks good. I'll report back when it's done.
ReplyDeleteShannon - these are soft and chewy, which is what we loved about them so I don't think you did anything wrong.
ReplyDeleteTricia, yes I only buy quick oats!
I am going to have to make these for my kids! One of my girls pretty much lives on Quaker chewy raisin granola bars some days!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I've been looking for any easy breakfast recipe for my husband. I might try adding chia seeds. Any recommendations for how to make them crunchier than chewy? Thanks, Gina!
ReplyDeletePecans! Raisins! Chocolate! Oh my! These sound wonderful. I'll be trying them soon. Thanks Gina for all of your wonderful recipes!
ReplyDeleteGina, I'm a fan of large flake oats instead of quick oats, I always have them in my cupboard. Would you recommend substituting the large flake for the quick or should I just stop at the grocery store on the way home? Awesome recipe!
ReplyDeleteI made these last night and they were delicious!! Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes!
ReplyDeleteMy children would eat granola bars from monring to night if I would let them. I will have to make these for them!
ReplyDeleteTo the person whose child can't have eggs... you can substitute milled flax seed for eggs in recipes. Look on the packaging and it will tell you how. You can also use milled flax seed as a fat substitute (although I wouldn't use it to sub out both items in the same recipe).
ReplyDeleteIt's like you were reading my mind! I have been looking for a bar recipes. Can't wait to try it:) Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI just made these granola bars. Since I'm not big on chocolate, I made them with coconut, slivered almonds, and "cherry" cranberries. They are delicious, not overly sweet, and more cake-like than like a chewy granola bar. I will definitely make them again.
ReplyDeleteI have Bob's Red Mill GF rolled oats...can these be used instead of quick oats? Thank you! These look fantastic!!
ReplyDeleteliz- to make them crunchy I would have to start from scratch and create a new recipe, won't work with this recipe.
ReplyDeletelucy renae- I'm not sure, I haven't tried it. I think it's best to use quick oats.
I Karumba.!!!!! these are the bomb. Gina. how on earth do you do it every time. When I choose a recipe to make of your's you hit it out of the ball park. The thought of oats and the store bought stuff kinda had me hemming and hawing, should I, I don't know, they are dry, na.. But .... everyone please make this recipe. You will not be sorry. It's like oatmeal cookies or something. Even better. I don't know if mine are still warm that they are melting in my mouth delicious. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. I don't have to buy store bought stuff at all!!! And easy and not a lot of time. I know two more of these are going in my mouth. :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed them!
ReplyDeleteYUM!! I made a triple batch~ one with dark chocolate chips and peanut butter chips; the second with- sliced almonds, dried cherries and coconut and the third- with mini chocolate chips and marshmallow (like smores). My whole family is so excited to try these. They are cooling as I type;) They look and smell so good!
ReplyDeleteLove all your variations, let me know which ones were best!!
ReplyDeleteMade these this afternoon and they are fabulous! I had some almond meal/flour in the pantry that I needed to use up so used that instead of the oat flour. Worked out really well! I added chocolate and butterscotch chips, walnuts and dried cherries. My son thinks they're the best! Thanks, Gina! I don't know how I lived without your site for so long :-)
ReplyDeleteRenee
Wow! These are super yummy! I made them with sugar free chocolate chips and dried cranberries and used Splends brown sugar blend. My kids had no idea they were healthy, they wouldn't even let them cool!
ReplyDeleteI understand others opinion about the higher points value but I'm happier knowing that I'm feeding my children, husband and I wholesome food.
I made 4 of your recipes last week for dinner and all were huge hits, and that's saying a lot coming from my crew!
I appreciate your recipes and all that you do! You're amazing!
Gina,
ReplyDeleteHow long will these stay fresh if I put them in the fridge?
Thanks,
Meredith
I'd much rather have something like this with more weight watchers points plus, knowing the ingredients are healthy and wholesome, rather than a slightly lower point store-bought snack, with ingredients you can't even pronounce!
ReplyDeleteMeredith, I would wrap it in saran wrap, it would stay fresh 3-4 days, maybe longer.
ReplyDeleteDawn, so would I. Seeing how little fat is in here, it makes you wonder how it's possible to achieve less points if you use real ingredients.
I made my batch in 16 silicone muffin cups and got little pucks I will freeze and pull out as needed. My 14 month old is chomping away at one right now and loving it! Thanks for the great recipe!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!!
ReplyDeleteTo get crunchy, couldn't you just leave them sit out a little longer or put them in the fridge uncovered to harden them up?
ReplyDeleteWhat about making a batch to last for a few weeks? Would that be possible?
Hey Gina,
ReplyDeleteHave made this recipe a million times since I found it and have started to play around with it. To get more "bang for your buck" in terms of points plus, I grated 3 large apples on a cheese grater and folded them into the mix before it baked. They take a bit longer because the apple makes it a bit more moist though. FANTASTIC! They are fuller and go super well with the cinnamon already in the recipe. Give it a try next time!
K
Thanks for sharing, that sounds great!
ReplyDeleteJust made these with my 4 yr old very easy to make now we are pretending to wait as they cool ;)
ReplyDeleteHas anyone added a natural protein powder to the mix? I am wondering how that might affect the points and taste. Adding protein will make it an even more powerful snack, while keeping you full longer. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteThank you again for another great recipe. My kids love granola bars but are not allowed to bring them to school as all brands that I have found are made on nut lines or have nuts... such a shame for this nut loving family. I omitted the nuts and now they have a fantastic snack!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you like them!! I may do a nut-less version next!
ReplyDeletei just baked these and they taste amazing! they truly are low in fat since there is no oil and minimal butter. the recipe is also not overly sweet-the sugar levels are perfect! the granola that i baked turned out soft and chewy rather than hard, however the pecans add in perfect amount of crunch. they taste amazzzzzzing!! thank you soo much for this recipe Gina!
ReplyDeleteI made this recipe and must have done something wrong, the granola was mushy and didn't cut into bars. The granola globs turned out really yummy though.
ReplyDeleteThese are not "low fat", which technically means a food has less than 3 g fat per serving. I'll still try the recipe because I want to make my own but they should probably really be called reduced fat, not low fat.
ReplyDeleteI just made a batch and they are delicious. Mine are more like oatmeal brownies than granola bars, but that's wonderful too. Thanks fort the recipe.
ReplyDeleteThese are SO Delicious! Easy to make! A great breakfast on the run for my school kid, or a snack at any time.
ReplyDeleteMy only dislike is they are crumbly and i have no children to feed them to. I tried to freeze them but, just were not right. I still like the recipe. Wish they would make recipes for smaller families sometimes.
ReplyDeleteHi Gina - great recipe!
ReplyDeleteTo make them crunchy you can treat them like you are making biscotti. This means cook them and then cut into 16 pieces.
Then put the cut pieces with spaces in between on a cookie sheet and bake for a few minutes to crisp them up.
My kids and their friends loved this. I am on WW so I loved this. Now that I am a work-at-home mom I'm trying to make more and buy less packaged foods. Your website will help me with this. I would love to share your recipes a wholesome and eco (since you use real ingredients) on my blog http://www.greeninspirationblog.com. Would that be ok?
ReplyDeleteSure, as long as you provide a link back that is fine, thanks for asking!
ReplyDeleteI made these granola bars this evening and my son said they are awesome. I tried one as well and would agree. My question is though, is there a way to keep them from crumbling so much? Should I place them in the fridge? By the way, I did cool them completely before cutting them.
ReplyDeleteCan you freeze these?
ReplyDeleteReally tasty! However, I did have the same crumbly problem, I cut them into bars and when you pick them up they just crumble and fall apart. Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteIs there a way I don't have to use eggs for this?
ReplyDeleteWhat can i can replace the apple sauce with...would love to make these very soon but i don't have apple sauce...HELP PLEASE!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is very good! I am also going to try this with M&Ms for my daughter's daycare.
ReplyDeleteI def. have to try these, they look so good .
ReplyDeleteCan I use old fashioned oats?? I want to make them but only have old fashioned on hand lol Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteHi! love the recipe! but just want a know if can i replace the brown sugar or the honey with splenda to lower the amount sugar *carbs?
ReplyDeleteI always use quick oats, not sure if it would work with old fashion oats.
ReplyDeleteYou can replace the brown sugar with Splenda but it needs the honey for the sticky factor.
You have become my new favorite site
ReplyDeleteMade them the other day. For the first time I forgot to add oats :) Ended up with very mushy mixture that we had to eat with a spoon. My husband liked the taste of it so I made them one more time but this time with the oats. It came out very good, but it was hard to cut into bars - they were falling apart.
ReplyDeleteI melted a chocolate and spread it on top - I think it was a great idea. It tasted so much better than withouth the chocolate.
For me the taste of it was to floury but my husband liked it a lot!
Gina,
ReplyDeletei would love to add some protein powder to keep me fuller while at work. Can you please help me with this? Should I replace a little flour with the powder or just add a few scoops? Any ideas? Thank you for all that you do. You are truly gifted!
Do you still answer questions from old posts?
DeleteHave you tried this with the protein powder? If so, did it work and how much/when did you add it? Thank you! I've read ALL the responses and did not see that Gina answered you.
DeleteSorry, I don't always catch the comments. I haven't tried it with protein powder but give it a shot!
DeleteIf I wanted to add protien powder I'd replace some of the oat flour with a like amount of the protien powder.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWe love these and make them all the time! They are so more more delicious and super filling compared to store-bought granola bars. Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteI just made these, and they are hands down my favorite granola bar. Period. Not just favorite homemade, low-fat version. I'll take these over any store-bought brand. My family loved them as well. These are going in my personal rotation. I'm excited to try different variations, but I am soooo sticking with this base. Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteAlly
So happy you liked them!
DeleteI added a spoonfull of Nutella, and a spoonfull of peanut butter and they now taste just like a big monster cookie, awesome!
ReplyDeleteI just tried this recipe! And it is the fisrt recipe I´ve ever tried from your beautiful website and I love it! I only substitute honey with a wheat syrup, just for fun..:)thx.
ReplyDeleteKate
Wow... delish! I LOVE the idea of a custom granola bar!
ReplyDeleteIf you don't have applesauce, any pureed fruit will do. I used banana, because I just like banana better. :)
hi, i made these today, followed the recipe exactly and they were dry and crumbly (they didnt even hold togehter enough to cut them, they just broke apart) i cooled them to room temp and stuck them in the fridge, but they didn't hold together....any sugestions as to what i did wrong lol
ReplyDeleteThanks!
We made these and they were amazing!!! I substituted dried cherries for the raisins and crushed hazelnuts for the pecans. My husband and I ate the whole pan in like 3 days! These were soooo delicious! Thanks Gina! :)
ReplyDeleteI just made these with my daughter..thumbs up!!! They are delish...a must on my monthly calendar. Thanks Gina, for sharing your recipes...haven't made a bad dish yet!! ;)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to make these for myself, but my husband and children are asking for some with peanut butter, any suggetions on how to do that for them.
ReplyDeleteI bet a mix of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips might work. =)
DeleteThese granola bars have become a staple in my boyfriends diet! We love this recipe and heaven forbid my boyfriend runs out. Thank you so much for this one! We love it!!
ReplyDeleteI just made these and they were DELICIOUS- just like eating cookies, but a little lighter. For those wishing to cut a few calories, I used egg substitute and took out the pecans and raisins. I could have probably reduced more by just doing raisins, but...gotta have the chocolate. Only issue I had was they were kind of crumbly- help on that?
ReplyDeleteI have tried a few homemade granola bar recipes thus far and they have all been awful, these were DELICIOUS. I used egg beaters instead of eggs, splenda brown sugar blend for brown sugar, and I also subbed out 1 tbs of the butter for 1 tbs of 0% greek yogurt. As for the flavor I just did dark chocolate and almonds. They came out great and I was able to shave off a few calories! THANKS for this recipe!
ReplyDeleteI baked these again and they are just so easy and amazing! I didn´t have nuts so I alternate with sunflower seeds which are also veeery healthy!:) Yummy as always:).
ReplyDeleteLove these! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, I've been missing granola bars since going gluten-free & it's fantastic to be able to make my own with whatever add-ins I choose!
ReplyDeleteHave made them as instructed & have also subbed in coconut for the chocolate chips. My next batch will sub in dried cranberries for the raisins & coconut for the chocolate chips. On my last batch I actually didn't have enough oat flour & didn't feel like processing oats for more, so I just reduced the oat flour by 1/2 cup & increased the oats by 1/2 cup. I also was out of applesauce & left it out, but added a tiny bit of coconut oil (not a full substitution). Anyway, they turned out much more chewy granola bar-like than cookie bar-like for those people that are having issues with that (I think reducing the flour & increasing the oats was the key).
I was so excited when I stumbled upon this recipe. I love granola bars and making healthy bars at home where I control the ingredients...it was a no brainer that I would make these immediately! Aside from substituting a few of the ingredients, i.e., dried cherries and almonds for raisins and pecans, I followed the recipe to a "T". I had such high hopes. Mine looked exactly like Gina's photo, but for some reason they turned out very dry and crumbly. Not sure what happened. Next time I will make some slight modifications and perhaps decrease cook time by a few minutes to see if this yields different results.
ReplyDeleteI just put mine in! Peanut Butter and Jelly with Raisins!!!
ReplyDeleteI want to turn your trail mix post from today into granola bars - To do this would I just add to the trail mix the butter, brown sugar, applesauce, honey, and egg from the recipe above?
ReplyDeleteGina can you freeze these?
ReplyDeleteLove these! I added a banana to the batter and they turned out great! Thank you! Will definitely be making these again!
ReplyDeleteGina, Can you freeze these? I'd love to make them for my son's on the go breakfast for preschool mornings, but there's no way we'd finish them in 3 to 4 days. Thanks so much for all you do, most of my meals come from your blog, I love having people over who don't do WW, they think they're going to get "diet food" and instead they get healthy, low fat dinner that is delicious, it always surprises them.
ReplyDeleteGreat recipe! I used regular oats and they worked fine. I also put a scoop of protein powder in, which seemed to help them stick together better and I left out the brown sugar. Next time I want to put peanut butter in.
ReplyDeleteOh and I added strong coffee and chocolate covered espresso beans for an "adult" version.
ReplyDeleteYes! I was looking all over the internet for a good healthy granola bar recipe to send with my hubby to school. Then I looked on here to see if you had one. This will hit the spot! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteFABULOUS! Just made these for my husband's lunch. Didn't have oat flour or a food processor, so used wholemeal flour. Also did them with walnuts, raisins, coconut & chopped dried apple. Thank you for a great recipe!
ReplyDeleteSide note = I just calculated how much each "bar" would cost, given you get 16 bars, and it came out to $0.42 each! And I used some expensive fillers such as walnuts and dried fruit. Cost effective and healthy!
DeleteHi Gina!
ReplyDeleteLove your site. Thank you for the recipes. I made these granola bars and they came out cakey. Any suggestions?
I have made these a few times and they never fail to amaze me! Last night I did them in cupcake tins and they were actually a lot easier to manage than as bars. I was also able to weigh out each portion with my food scale so that they were even. That will be my new go to method. Love all of your recipes, Gina!!
ReplyDeleteI just made these and they smell delicious and im sure they taste even better!! I added a little bit of coconut along with Mini chocolate chips, pecans and almonds!! So excited! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteI made two batches of this today, one for my gluten-free mom and one for myself. I used Gluten free Old fashioned oats for my mom and I added coconut, almonds, and dried cherries. It came out perfectly brown on top and tastes delicious. The non-gluten free one for myself has dark chocolate chips, dried cherries, pecans, and coconut in it. It is also very delicious but not as brown as the gluten free came out. I would actually suggest to use old-fashioned instead of quick!
ReplyDeletePlanning on making these on my day off this Friday! What can I do with the batch after I've made them? Freeze them, just refrigerate them, or can I keep them in the pantry?
ReplyDeleteThanks!!
How long will these stay good?
ReplyDelete