Chewy Chocolate Covered Granola Bars
Granola bars are an everyday snack staple, and that’s why we’re excited to share these homemade chewy chocolate covered granola bars with you. These bars have a tasty, soft texture with just a touch of crunch from our Cacao Crisp gr8nola superfood granola. Each delicious bite is packed with clean ingredients that will satisfy your sweet and savory cravings: granola, coconut flakes, peanut butter, honey, cinnamon, oats and more. Each chewy bar is dipped in a smooth and silky layer of dark chocolate, which is known as a generous source of antioxidants – even housing more antioxidants than blueberries or acai berries! Dark chocolate is also known to potentially improve brain function, reduce risk of heart disease, improve blood flow and decrease blood pressure. This is gr8 news for any other chocoholics out there, because we’ll take any excuse to chow down on any recipe made with chocolate!
We used peanut butter as the “glue” that sticks these chewy-gooey bars together, while adding healthy fats, vitamins and minerals to the recipe. Peanut butter is an excellent source of magnesium, which can enhance energy production and detoxification, as well as vitamin E, B6, B3 and copper, which can promote immune function and bone health. We recommend using all-natural peanut butter in order to avoid artificial flavors and processed sugars. Stick to peanut butter made with one simple ingredient: peanuts! If you aren’t a fan of peanuts, you can easily replace it in equal amounts with another type of nut butter such as almond butter, cashew butter or hazelnut. You can also use a seed butter such as tahini if you are avoiding nuts.
These bars are sweetened naturally with honey, which is also known as an antioxidant powerhouse. Just make sure to use high quality, fresh honey that has been minimally processed. You can also swap the honey out for maple syrup or agave if you are looking to make this recipe vegan-friendly. Despite the nutritious aspects of honey, it is nevertheless essentially a source of sugar, so should be consumed in moderation. As with anything, there is still such a thing as too much of a good thing!
The coconut flakes used in this recipe subtly enhance the flavor of these bars while adding to their oh-so-chewy texture. Coconut flakes are an excellent source of dietary fiber, iron and zinc, and can help stave off hunger while leaving you satiated. Iron is essential to immune system support, and insufficient amounts of iron can cause fatigue and physical weakness. Despite its health benefits, coconut flakes nevertheless have a high concentration of saturated fats, and should be consumed in moderation. We used half a cup of coconut flakes in this recipe, and as with anything – enjoy in moderation!
If you aren’t aware of the health benefits of oats yet, we’ll let you in on a little secret: this seemingly simple ingredient is in fact an incredible way to fuel your body on a regular (even daily) basis! This recipe includes two forms of oats: oats in gr8nola and oat flour, which is simply oats that have been blended into a fine flour. You can purchase oat flour at most grocery markets, or you can make your own at home simply with a high speed blender or food processor! The health benefits of oats are extensive, and include everything from lowering cholesterol, to promoting digestion, to balancing hunger hormones and metabolism, to providing a source of plant-based protein and fueling you with energy. There are so many ways that you can get creative with oats – from granola to granola bars, to oatmeals, pancakes and breads! We simply just couldn’t live with-oat this heart healthy ingredient.
We also added cinnamon, the ever-popular spice, for a touch of flavorful spice and added superfood benefits. Not only is cinnamon known for its detoxifying properties, it may also reduce blood sugar levels, which is plenty of reason to add it to your favorite recipes! Studies have even shown that cinnamon can potentially lower blood pressure and in such boost your cardiovascular system. Even further – cinnamon may help you focus – it’s no wonder we chose to make a Cinnamon Chai gr8nola!
Granola and granola bars are delicious ways to fuel your day while satisfying your taste buds. We understand that it can be hard to find pre-packaged granola and granola bars that are free of additives, which is why we put this recipe together using our clean ingredient superfood granola.
These bars are a deliciously sweet treat that you can enjoy any time of the day, or even on the go. Whether you dip them in your morning coffee for a sweet breakfast treat, pack them in your work lunch, or munch on these bars for a better-for-you dessert, these chewy granola bars can be enjoyed any time of day!
How to Make Chocolate Covered Granola Bars
If you haven’t made granola bars before, don’t fret – it’s a pretty simple process! These Chocolate Covered Granola Bars can be prepared in under an hour, and stored in the fridge for up to one week (although they will most likely disappear within the first few days – ours barely made it to two)! We didn’t top them with anything, but fun ways to dress up your granola bars can include: drizzling them with peanut butter or more chocolate, sprinkling them with sea salt or more granola, or double-dunking them in another layer of chocolate. Best of all, these granola bars require zero baking, so there’s no need to turn on the oven or stove!
If you would like to get creative with the chocolate layer, you can swap out the dark chocolate for milk chocolate or even white chocolate. We love Pascha Organic’s Vegan White Chocolate Baking Chips, which are a creamy and delicious alternative to regular white chocolate. If you’re feeling fancy, you can even stir fun powders like matcha, activated charcoal or even pitaya powder into your melted white chocolate to add a colorfully fun hue, tasty flavors and plenty of extra superfood benefits.
When melting chocolate, we typically like to melt it with coconut oil. Coconut oil is known for its various superfood properties, namely for being anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-fungal. Coconut oil is also known as a plentiful source of MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides), which can boost metabolic rate. Adding coconut oil helps the melting process, and also softens the chocolate so that the granola bar’s chocolate layer is smoother to bite. Otherwise, the chocolate layer will be more of a hard shell as opposed to a creamy outer layer. If you love peanut butter, you may even want to try melting the chocolate chips with a spoonful or two of peanut butter! This will result in a melt-in-your-mouth sticky chocolate layer and an all-around chewy-gooey textured granola bar. When melting chocolate in the microwave, we suggest that you do so in 15-20 second intervals, stirring in between each interval. This will prevent the chocolate from burning and result in a smooth, decadent, dreamy bowl of goodness!
Recipe:
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Nutrition: Dairy-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free. You can increase or decrease the Chocolate Covered Granola Bar calories depending on your personal health needs, by adjusting ingredients such as peanut butter, honey and coconut flakes.
Makes: 14-16 bars
Ingredients:
- 1 bag Cacao Crisp gr8nola
- 1 cup oat flour
- Dash of salt
- Dash of cinnamon
- 1 cup natural peanut butter
- ⅓ cup honey
- ½ cup coconut flakes
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 10oz dark chocolate chips (if not vegan or dairy-free, you can also melt 2-3 of your favorite milk chocolate bars as the dipping chocolate instead).
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
Directions
1. Line a 10”x10” baking pan with parchment paper, then set aside.2. In a large bowl, combine the gr8nola, oats, cinnamon and salt. Crush any large clumps of granola, and stir until fully combined.
3. Add the peanut butter, honey, coconut flakes and vanilla. Stir until fully combined and the mixture sticks together.
4. Pour the prepared mixture into the baking pan. Press down firmly with a spatula, until a smooth surface is achieved. Place the pan in the fridge for 10-20 minutes to set.
5. While the granola filling sets, prepare the chocolate layer by melting the dark chocolate and coconut oil in 15-20 second intervals until fully melted.
6. Once the granola filling has set, remove the filling from the pan and slice into rectangular bars.
7. Dip the bars in the melted chocolate, then place on a baking rack to set. You can place the chocolate covered granola bars in the fridge to expedite the setting process – just make sure to place them above a rack that will catch the chocolate the drips through the baking rack!
8. Once set, enjoy!
The beauty of homemade granola bar recipes is that you can also customize the fillings. You can add fun ingredients such as peanuts, almonds, walnuts, chocolate chips, cacao nibs, dried cranberries, raisins or pumpkin seeds for added taste and texture. We made these granola bars without extra filling ingredients, but you can easily make this recipe your own by choosing your favorite add-ins.
Another fun way to enhance these bars is to turn them into double decker sandwich granola bars! Before you cover them in chocolate, sandwich two bars together with a layer of your favorite creamy filling in between them. We’re talking peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter, hazelnut butter, coconut butter or even melted chocolate! Once you’ve created your “sandwich,” you can then dip it into the melted chocolate for a double decker granola bar with a surprise filling.
If you’re looking for ways to add protein to your diet, you can also add a scoop or two of your favorite protein powder to this recipe. Doing so may result in a drier or firmer granola bar – if so, we recommend that you add more peanut butter or honey, until the desired consistency is achieved (and feel free to taste-test)!
Make this Recipe using gr8nola
Our gr8nola granola superfood flavors are a healthy way to increase the superfood benefits of your recipes. Gr8nola is low in sugar (only 5g per serving), and naturally sweetened with monk fruit extract or honey. We used Cacao Crisp gr8nola in this recipe because it has a light chocolate and coconut flavor profile – however, this recipe would definitely be a hit with our Peanut Butter gr8nola, our Cinnamon Chai gr8nola or even our OG gr8nola.
If you would like to make these granola bars even chewier, we recommend that you blend the granola and oats in a food processor or high speed blender prior to mixing them with the remaining ingredients. This will fully remove the “crunch” from the granola, and leave you with a super chewy bar with a texture that is more reminiscent of a firm cookie dough. If you would like to make these bars even softer, you can always add more peanut butter or honey. If you would like to make them firmer, you can add more gr8nola or more oat flour. We love no-bake recipes like these granola bars, because you can sample the filling and make your own decision as to what proportions to ultimately go with!
All of our granola flavors are 100% natural, dairy-free, soy-free and free of refined sugars. We use superfood ingredients such as cinnamon, cacao, activated charcoal, coconut oil, matcha, turmeric, ashwagandha and more, to boost the health benefits while simultaneously adding deeper flavor profiles. This makes gr8nola a staple ingredient to plenty of recipes – from granola bars to granola cookies, smoothie bowls and even banana breads!
We hope you enjoy making this recipe at home. If you make this recipe, don’t forget to tag us on social media (@gr8nola) so that we can check it out and give you a shoutout!
Looking for more clean ingredient bar recipes? Check out our Matcha Green Tea Gr8nola Energy Bars and our 4-Ingredient Crunch Bars for more inspo!
