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Home » Recipe Type » Snacks » Dark Chocolate Granola Bars

Dark Chocolate Granola Bars

By: Rosemary Published: January 20, 2023 Updated on: January 20, 2023

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These Granola Bars, are made with healthy ingredients including dark chocolate, oats and almonds. A delicious, good for you breakfast bar or snack. So tasty you’ll forget you are eating a healthy snack!

This post may contain affiliate links. See my full disclosure. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Granola bars on parchment paper.

Why Granola Bars you ask? To tell the truth I like Granola Bars, my eldest daughter loved them and we would always have them in the house. But since she moved back to Toronto, I haven’t seen much of them.

So, in honour of my eldest much-missed-around-here and much-loved daughter, I’m sharing these easy dark chocolate granola bars. They’re made with oats, all-bran cereal, and of course lots of dark chocolate. The perfect breakfast treat or snack.

I know she can’t eat them but I figured the next best thing would be to give her the recipe and she can make them herself. Haha, she will like that! Because believe me, they are really easy!

Oats in Italy are quite large so I decided to use my trusty food processor and break them up a bit with the nuts and cereal. Worked perfectly.

Mix it all together with a few ingredients including honey and dark chocolate chips, and then bake them.

My daughter loves eating healthy and I have to agree Granola bars are a delicious way to eat healthy, especially these Easy Homemade Granola Bars. 

The bars on a wooden board.

Table of Contents

  • Ingredients
  • How to roast nuts
  • How to Make Healthy Granola Bars
      • Never Miss a Recipe!
  • Recipe Tips
  • What you need to make this recipe
  • I don’t have a food processor. Is there another way to make them?
  • How to store granola bars
  • How to freeze the bars
  • More Easy Snack Recipes
  • Dark Chocolate Granola Bars
    • Ingredients  1x2x3x
    • Instructions 
    • Notes
    • Nutrition
    •  

Ingredients

  • Rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)
  • Whole almonds – roasted then coarsely chopped before adding to the food processor other nut substitutions could be walnuts or hazelnuts
  • All-bran cereal
  • Butter – if you use unsalted butter then add a bit more salt
  • Honey
  • Brown sugar
  • Vanilla – vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • Dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks
Ingredients for the recipe.

How to roast nuts

Place nuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet in a pre-heated 350F (180C) oven. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until they are golden brown, remove immediately from the pan to cool before chopping.

How to Make Healthy Granola Bars

​Place the oats, nuts, and cereal in a food processor. Pulse a few times until the nuts are broken down into smaller pieces.

Dry ingredients in a food processor before and after blended.

Combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil on the stove, stir, and then take it off the heat, let cool for approximately 5 minutes.

Melting the wet ingredients in a pot.
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    Pour the butter mixture over the dry ingredients in a large bowl, again let cool 8-10 minutes.

    Pouring the melted wet ingredients on the dry ingredients.

    Then mix in the chocolate chips, press the mixture into the prepared square baking dish. Sprinkle some chocolate chips over the top, if desired.

    The ingredients mixed and in the pan.

    Bake the bars for approximately 20 in a pre-heated oven. Let them cool completely before slicing. If you like you can chill them in the fridge for about 30 minutes which will make them easier to slice.

    Recipe Tips

    For this recipe, I use unsweetened dark mini chocolate chips but any chocolate chips you like will work. Or try other baking chips like butterscotch chips or peanut butter chips.

    You can also use different nuts like walnuts, pecans, or peanuts. Add some chopped dried fruit like apricots, cranberries or raisins, or even some unsweetened shredded coconut! Why not throw in some chia seeds?

    Some people like to add sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, I would probably blend them a couple of times to break them up.

    Instead of honey, you can use the same amount of pure maple syrup.

    I use a 9-inch square baking pan, but you can use a bigger or smaller one depending on how thick you like your granola bars. You will need to adjust the baking time if you want thicker bars.

    Line the baking pan with parchment paper to make it easy to lift the bars out in one piece before cutting into slices.

    Adding or substituting with different mix-ins can change the flavors and texture of the bars. So switch them up and give it a try!

    Granola bars on a wooden board.

    What you need to make this recipe

    • Baking sheet
    • 9 inch square pan
    • Food processor or Blender (if needed)
    • Large bowl
    • Small pot

    I don’t have a food processor. Is there another way to make them?

    If you don’t have a food processor, I recommend using quick-cooking oats instead of rolled oats. You can crush the cereal in a resealable bag with a rolling pin, and roughly chop the nuts with a sharp knife. Then, just combine them all in a bowl.

    How to store granola bars

    Store dark chocolate granola bars in an airtight container in the fridge. They will last for 6-7 days in the fridge. You can eat them directly from the fridge or bring them to room temperature first.

    How to freeze the bars

    Place the cut completely cooled bars in a freezer safe container, separate the layers with parchment paper. They will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer. Thaw the bars before consuming. They only take about 20-30 minutes to thaw so they can be thawed on the counter.

    Homemade granola bars are so much better than store-bought and not hard to make. Give them a try soon and enjoy!

    The bars cut and on a wooden board.

    More Easy Snack Recipes

    • Italian Roasted Chickpeas
    • Homemade Italian Baked Potato Chips
    • Italian Taralli
    The cut bars on a wooden board.

    Dark Chocolate Granola Bars

    Rosemary Molloy
    These Granola Bars, are made with healthy ingredients including dark chocolate, oats and almonds. A delicious, good for you breakfast bar or snack. 
    4.80 from 5 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Chilling Time 30 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 5 mins
    Course Breakfast, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 30 pieces
    Calories 101 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups rolled oats
    • 1/2 cup whole almonds (toasted than coarsely chopped)
    • 1/2 cup all bran cereal
    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 2/3 cup honey
    • 1/4 cup brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • pinch of salt
    • 3/4 cup unsweetened chocolate chips (mini or regular)

    Instructions
     

    • Pre-heat oven to 350°. Line a 9 inch square pan with parchment paper (the pan can be bigger or smaller depending on how thick you want your bars).
    • In the bowl of your food processor add oats, almonds (coarsely chop before adding) and all bran, pulse until almonds are in smaller pieces (you do not want powder).
    • Combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil on the stove, stir, and then take it off the heat, let cool for approximately 5 minutes.
    • Pour the butter mixture over the dry ingredients in a large bowl, again let cool 8-10 minutes then mix in the chocolate chips, press the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle some chocolate chips over the top, if desired.
    • Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely then cut into pieces. For easier cutting chill for approximately 20-30 minutes. Enjoy!

    Notes

    Place nuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet in a pre-heated 350F (180C) oven. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until they are golden brown, remove immediately from the pan to cool before chopping.
    If you don’t have a food processor, I recommend using quick-cooking oats instead of rolled oats. You can crush the cereal in a resealable bag with a rolling pin, and roughly chop the nuts with a sharp knife. Then, just combine them all in a bowl.
    Store dark chocolate granola bars in an airtight container in the fridge. They will last for 6-7 days in the fridge. You can eat them directly from the fridge or bring them to room temperature first.
    Place the cut completely cooled bars in a freezer safe container, separate the layers with parchment paper. They will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer. Thaw the bars before consuming. They only take about 20-30 minutes to thaw so they can be thawed on the counter.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 101kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 19mgPotassium: 82mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 54IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword almond granola bar recipe, chocolate granola bar, dark chocolate granola bars, granola bars
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

     Updated from April 4, 2016.

     

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      Chocolate, Desserts, Homemade Candy, No-Bake Desserts, Nuts, Snacks

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      1. Linda Bedord says

        February 19, 2022 at 6:42 am

        4 stars
        Do you know the carb count on these?

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          February 20, 2022 at 9:55 pm

          Hi Linda, I just added the nutrition card, although it might not be 100% accurate.

          Reply
      2. Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says

        April 5, 2016 at 12:07 am

        Rosemary that sounds fantastic!! I always loved cooking for my kids — now that they’re gone it is kind of boring for my hubby and I. Why? Well, we are at the age where calories stick to every place we don’t want it to and the weight just won’t come off like it used to. But these bars look terrific and I have young active grandsons who burn off the calories like mad — perfect for them. Great recipe!

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          April 6, 2016 at 4:27 pm

          Hi Marisa, haha don’t I know it, and yes these are a little more on the healthy side. Have a great day.

          Reply
      3. Nikki from Tikkido says

        April 4, 2016 at 7:30 pm

        5 stars
        Ooh, I’ve never thought to add all bran to granola bars. What a fabulous idea!

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          April 6, 2016 at 4:28 pm

          Hi Nikki, thanks it added a little more good stuff!

          Reply
      4. Lauren says

        April 4, 2016 at 4:46 pm

        These look delicious! Thanks for sharing! My kids and I LOVE granola!

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          April 4, 2016 at 6:39 pm

          Thanks Lauren, hope you enjoy it.

          Reply
      5. Terri says

        April 4, 2016 at 4:02 pm

        Another winner! I’m doing all your social media from your page! I’m hashtagging it #tastecreations!

        Reply
        • Rosemary says

          April 4, 2016 at 6:40 pm

          Hi Terri, haha thanks, ok, have a great week.

          Reply

      Hi, I'm Rosemary.

      Living in Italy I learned to cook authentic Italian dishes using whole ingredients, fresh veggies and delicious spices. So take a seat and have a taste! Read More

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