The BEST homemade granola bars ever!

I really like to make as many homemade items as I can. Especially convenience food. I like to know exactly what goes into what I am eating and feeding my family, and I really like being able to pronounce every ingredient and know where it came from.

I also really like Quaker chewy granola bars though. So, I started trying granola bar recipes to see if I could make something just as good at home. These are the best ones I have found and they are not just as good as quaker - they are WAY BETTER!! They are also incredibly easy and quick to make, and save for a few weeks in the pantry if individually wrapped (though they barely make it a week in our house). Depending on your level of chew or crunch desire, you can tweak this to fit perfectly. I like mine chewy with a little crunch and following the recipe time exactly yields those results for me. I have overcooked them before and ended up with crunchier ones (think Nature Valley style), and I would imagine if you under-cooked them a smidge they would be even chewier without much crunch at all.

I adapted this recipe {from the fabulous Weelicious} slightly - leaving out the coconut, and being a bit more generous with the chocolate chips (chocolate makes everything better!). Otherwise, I followed this recipe near perfect. If you have not checked out Weelicious before, you really should. Everything I have tried of hers has been amazing, and mostly health conscious without sacrificing taste.

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (makes about 30 bars)

4 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup (generously overfilled!) Chocolate Chips
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Canola Oil
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Honey

Preheat oven to 325 F.
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
Pour the wet ingredients over the oat mixture and stir to combine.
Place granola mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet and shape into a rectangle, about 13 x 9 x 1 inch thick.
Bake for 40 minutes.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes then cut into 3 x 1 inch bars.

Wrap individually and they will keep up to a few weeks.

Freshly baked and cut into bars...

Individually wrapped (I used Glad Press 'n' Seal)

My kids love them, and hubby and I love them just as much, or maybe even more. I keep meaning to try a variation with dried fruit - maybe diced dried apples with cinnamon, or raisins, dark chocolate and dried cherry...the possibilities are endless, though every time I go to make them, the chocolate chips are winking at me in the cupboard. And for some reason, I feel less guilty eating chocolate when it is packaged in a fairly wholesome granola bar.

Enjoy and let me know what you think of these - I quit trying granola bar recipes once I found these ones - they are that good.