Oh, you guys. It has been snowing. And snowing.
And then snowing some more.
Really, we got a lot of snow. And to think two days ago I thought maybe spring might come a little earlier up here in the mountains.
Yeah, right. Those days of awesome sunshine and 30 degrees temps were short. Too short.
My die hard snowboarder brothers are pretty happy. Apparently, it was a major pow, pow day (Pow, pow is a lot of snow. I asked, they rolled their eyes.).
Ah, welcome to my life. Snowboard talk 24/7. Most the time I have no idea what everyone is talking about. I am in my own world thinking about Flourless Chocolate Cakes, Spring Pasta and those cute as can be Easter straws I got at Target thanks to Jessica.
So I tuned out the snowboard talk and day dreamed about Florida and palm trees and 80 degree weather. All while I stood by the heater (that is duct taped together, because the neck broke in half, jimmy rigged I think my dad calls it) that never leaves my side (never) and made granola bars.
Copy cat Nature Valley Oats ‘n Honey bars. They are the real deal.
My family loves these bars and I wanted to see if I could replicate them.
Mission accomplished! Oh, and they are SO easy. Like you need nine simple ingredients that you probably have on hand right now, five minutes of prep time and a little love from the oven. Then your golden! Literally they come out all golden and your kitchen will smell AMAZING. The smell alone is reason enough to make these.
Seriously, they are healthy, easy and in my opinion way better than the store-bought! Make yum today and eat them as a snack all week long!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup rolled oats (use gluten free oats for a gluten free version)
- 1/2 cup rice crispies cereal
- 3 tablespoons cornmeal
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or I like to sometimes use coconut oil
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 9x9 inch square pyrex dish with parchment paper.
- Combine the oats, rice crispies, cornmeal, salt and baking soda in a medium size mixing bowl. In a glass measuring cup or microwave safe bowl mix the honey and canola (or coconut oil). Place in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir to melt the coconut butter then add the vanilla and brown sugar. Whisk to combine and then mix the wet with the dry ingredients. Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared pyrex dish that is lined with parchment paper, and press down hard. I used the back of a measuring cup (spray or oil the bottom so it does not stick and press hard!) and it worked awesome!
- Place in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The bars will be golden on top. Remove the bars (if your bars seem a little loose, I like to push down again on them to make sure the bars will hold together) and let the bars cool in the pan for 10-20 minutes then remove from the pan and then cut while the bars are firm, but still somewhat soft. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in a sealed container or wrapped in plastic wrap.
Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie
Maybe the spring forward will bring some spring weather. Hey, I can hope. Right?
Shared with: Inside BruCru Life, Lil Luna, Chef In Training, Buns In my Oven, Foodie Friday Friends, Tidy Mom, Taste and Tell, Cheerios and Lattes, Somewhat Simple, Mom on Timeout, I Heart Nap Time, Fine Craft Guide, The Country Cook, Whipperberry, Chef In Training
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We finally got a break from the snow here in Central New York this weekend. It’s the warmest it’s been in a while! I love those NV bars (messy as they are), so I’m excited about this recipe. I’m sure your homemade version is 10x better.
The ingredients says oil, the directions say butter……which did you use?
Oh, geez I have done this twice now! Use coconut oil. Sorry, about that!
Thanks!
LOVE these! We eat a lot of those around here and if they can be made at home, they’re way cheaper!! Thanks for the recipe!
DELICIOUS! I made this today and omg…sooooooooooo good! My 13 year son can’t get enough. I’m going to blog tomorrow with pics and a link to your site. Thanks so much. Love your recipes!
~Carly
YA!
So excited to see a recipe for these bars! Thanks for sharing, I look forward to making them.
They are better than the boxed ones! I cut them while warm and then let them cool to a crisp. I think if I waited, they would have all broke. Thanks for the inspiration!
Glad you liked them!
These look amazing! I am pinning as I am a big fan of the store-bought versions!
Thanks for pinning!
These look so yummy. I just bought a box of these. I need to make these instead. Thanks for the recipe. Just pinned it!
Thanks for pinning!
Oh my gosh, those look exactly the same! I adore those bars and just bought a big box from Costco. Would love to be able to make these myself. Pinning!
Thanks for pinning!
Heavenly! I am a granola bar addict! Thanks for Sharing at Show Me Your Plaid Monday’s!
Totally pinning for later! Thanks for sharing! Also I would have had to ask about the “pow pow” too haha
Thanks for pinning!
We love Nature’s Valley granola bars too. So excited to try this version!
These look so good! I definitely want to make them.
These look amazing!!!! I wanted to ask if you tried adding other things to them like dried fruit or cut up almonds?
No, I have not. I would think a small amount of either though would work fine!
Yeah!!! I love making things I love homemade. I just pinned these and will be making them. Why buy them if you can make them better yourself? Thanks for this!
I totally agree! Thanks for pinning!
What a delicious bar! I am always looking for ways to use Coconut Oil and am glad to see you mention that in your recipe. Thank you for sharing this at the ALL MY BLOGGY FRIENDS party
I made these today with my 6 & 3 yr old boys. They were a hit! Only had an 8 x 8 pyrex so the bars came out a little chewy but still great!!!
Ya! I am so excited you guys liked them! Thanks for sharing!
We will be making these tomorrow…they look so good! Thank you for sharing!
Julie
thevintagebarnhome.com
Totally going to make these for my boys!
These look so good! Can’t wait to make them, thanks for sharing the recipe!
-Kayla
We always make our own granola bars but the ones we make are thicker and cakey so I’m eager to try your recipe that looks more like a traditional granola bar. Thanks for the recipe.
I will definitely be trying these! I’m visiting from the Pinterest Power Party and am pinning this. Have a great day!
Another amazing recipe! So in love with your blog!!! Couldn’t find if you have an instagram account:(
http://dcinstyle.com/
Thank you and I do have on instagram account. These is a button on the right hand side of my page but here is the link http://followgram.me/halfbakedharvest
Mmmmm… these look delicious! Can’t wait to try them!
Thank you and let me know if you do!
Thanks so much for coming to (link) party with me… I hope you’ll come again next week to Super Saturday Show & Tell! http://www.whatscookingwithruthie.com xoxo~ Ruthie
OH MY WORD! I keep clicking on all the links I love from the Time to Sparkle link party and I keep clicking on your links
I live in Africa, and oooobviously have been having to live without my absolute FAVORITE granola bars- these. Definitely giving them a shot!
Oh my goodness! These look amazing! My family would love them!
Thanks!
THANK YOU!!! I’ve been trying for years to find a recipe that looks and tastes like our family’s favorite granola bars – this looks perfect!! I cannot WAIT to try your recipe! Thanks so much for sharing!
I am so excited you are so excited about these! Let me know what you think!
I saw your link over at Plaid and Paisley. I love Nature Valley Honey Oat bars. I will have to try these out.
Hope you like them!
Do you think you could add some protein powder to these?
Honestly, I am not sure. What I would do is for every tablespoon of protein powder you use remove a tablespoon of cornmeal. Hope these these turn out great for you and let me know if the protein powder works!
I cannot wait to try these! I love these granola bars and would love to make them! thanks for posting- saw you on High Heels and Grills – xoxo Brook
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you like these!
I’ve given up on Spring coming, every time I turn around it’s snowing again. These look so yummy, I am making them today for an afterschool treat. Thanks! Found you over on Mom on Time out’s link party.
Hope you and your kids like these!
Love the idea of making these homemade! They sound great:@)
Thank you!
These look great! I’ve been trying out new granola bar recipes and these are making their way to my list! Thanks!
Thank you and I hope you like them!
Absolutely loving these! Finally a fantastic NUT free cereal bar recipe that looks incredibly delicious! Thanks so much for sharing. New to your blog, found you on ‘This Gal Cooks’ link party. I really admire your work! Look forward to following your future posts!
Thank you! And thank you so much for following me!
These granola bars look really good! I usually make them with dried fruit, but these sound like a really crunchy treat!
They are crunch and delicious! Let me know if you give them a try!
Oh my gosh, I totally pinned these for later this week! I found your link on the Marvelous Monday linky party and I’m SOOOO glad I did! My husband loves these, but they aren’t GF or nut free, so they are off limits at our house. Now I can make them for him!
I love homemade granola bars. These look like you bought them and I know they are better because homemade is always better.
We may have met by chance…but we become friends by choice.
http://simpleesue.com/try-one-new-recipe-a-week-strawberry-cream-omelet/
I agree homemade is always better!
I love homemade granola bars. You can add whatever you want and they are convient to take with!
I totally agree!
<3
Oh yum! We love these here at our house as well. I just pinned this! Thanks so much!
Thank you ad thanks for pinning!
Great recipe for granola bars, we love the nature valley granola bars, so I’d love to try this recipe out.
Thank you! Let me know if you gives these a try!
I. want. one !!
These look delicious! I’ve been searching for a recipe like this because these are my favorite. Pinning! Thanks
Thanks for pinning and I hope you like them!
My kids love granola bars and I am going to have to try making some soon! Thanks for sharing at Time To Sparkle!
My daughter loves the Nature Valley version. I’m anxious to try these! Thanks for sharing!
I hope you guys loves these! Let me know what you think!
Help. I let the bars cool 10 minutes and the minute I tried to remove them to cool the rest of the way, they fell apart. What did I do wrong?
Did you use the correct amount of honey? Or did you bake them long enough? Did you line you dish with parchment? I actually just made these again today and they turned out great!. It is really important to push down hard on the bars before baking (spray or rub your hands with oil first) and you can even do this after you take them out of the oven (while they are still in the pan). Also, i think cutting them before they get to hard is a good idea, maybe about 20 minutes after you take them out of the oven. Sometimes when they get to hard, they can crumble when you try to cut them into bars. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!
Yes to the honey, parchment paper, and I baked them for 23 minutes and they were turning brown when I removed them. I will try pressing down harder next time.
Did you cut them while in the pan?
My kids LOVE the Nature Valley bars and I have been hunting for a replacement. I just made these but mine are falling apart. They taste GREAT but have ended up as a lose granola rather than a bar. Any ideas what may have happened??? Thanks!!!
Assuming you followed the recipe exactly the only thing I can say would be to push down on the bars as hard as you (rub your hand with some oil so they dont stick to the bars) before baking and then again after they come out of the oven. Also, I would let them sit in the pan for at least 20 minutes before lifting them out (use parchment paper!) then cut them before they get to hard. If they are completely hard when you try and cute them with will probably crumble on you. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!
I love Nature Valley granola bars, but because of nut processing issues, my kiddos can’t have them. So, thank you so much for this recipe! I can’t wait to get baking.
I am so glad you found this!! I hope you and your kids love the bars!
I Just wanted to let you know that you are featured in this weeks Manic Monday http://bobbiskozykitchen.blogspot.com/2013/04/manic-monday-party-30.html
Thank you! So glade you liked these!
These look so fantastic! I love these bars, so homemade must be even better. Have you ever tried shipping these? One of my friends loves granola bars, so I’m sure he’d love getting some in the mail if I made them. I’m just worried about how well they would keep after being in the mail for a few days…
I have never shipped them, but I would think if you packaged them really well they would be ok!! They lasts for weeks!
Awesome! Thanks so much. I’ll definitely be making these to include in my next round of care packages!