Try as I might, I’m really not a big breakfast eater. I know, it’s the most important meal of the day, blah, blah, blah. I know. Most days, I grab my greek yogurt, my coffee and a banana. Now that school is back in full-swing, I’m trying to compile a list of make-ahead breakfasts for my family so we can grab a quick and healthy meal to start our days off on the right foot. While my banana, yogurt and coffee breakfast works for me, the rest of the family isn’t interested.
I’ve had some good success with make-ahead frozen waffles thanks to a tip from one of my friends, baked oatmeal didn’t go over all that well with my girls, and while muffins are always a hit after school, the girls don’t have much of an appetite for them in the mornings for some reason. So if any of you have any awesome breakfast ideas, I’d love to hear them!
My husband and I have been talking about making homemade granola bars for quite some time. Since we now have our own honey, we were excited to find some fun recipes to use it in. There are a million granola bar recipes out there, ranging from easy to very difficult, so we started easy – these use store-bought granola and cereal. The girls liked these; they’re chewy and soft and full of chocolate and peanut butter chips – what’s not to love? I thought they had a bit of a “brown butter” flavor to them, which was a fun gourmet twist.
I hope you give these a try. I’m sure you could add many flavor variations – raisins, cranberries, almonds, marshmallows, graham crackers…the possibilities are endless.
Enjoy!
Easy Homemade Granola Bars
Yield: 10 6-inch bars
Prep Time: 10 minutes ♦ Cooling time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 cups plain granola
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup mini peanut butter chips
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
Directions: In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat. Add brown sugar and honey, and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for two minutes.
Meanwhile, spray a 7×11 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Remove the butter and sugar from heat. Stir granola and cereal into the mixture, and combine with a rubber spatula until completely coated. Pour into prepared pan, and press into a smooth, even layer. You can wet your hands or spray a rubber spatula with cooking spray to ease this process.
Allow to cool for about 15 minutes, then sprinkle with peanut butter and chocolate chips. Press gently into the granola bars, then allow to cool completely. Remove from pan, then using a large, sharp knife, cut into bars.
Enjoy!
Recipe source and inspiration: Rachael Ray via Back to the Cutting Board
I love how you’ve displayed they wrapped in brown paper! it’s so cute I don’t think anyone could help but dive in!
I am so book marking these-yum!
I love making homemade granola bars and mixing up the flavors! These look great!
look so yummy
3lin
These look really easy. I’ve already pinned them, and will be making them soon.
Where did you find mini peanut butter chips? i can’t find them anywhere.
I honestly can’t remember. I think I actually bought them at a baking supply store. You could use the bigger chips and they’d be fine, or you could even chop them for smaller bits.