Peanut Butter Granola Bars - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

FAQs

How do you bind granola bars together? ›

Honey or maple syrup

These natural sweeteners also help bind the bars together, and make these bars deliciously sweet (though not too sweet).

Using the right binding agent in your granola bar recipe is a crucial part of keeping your bars from falling apart. While there are several different sticky ingredients that you can use, we've found that the binding agent that works the best is honey!

In some cases, granola bars can be a good source of fiber and protein to help curb cravings between meals. However, some contain as much sugar, carbs, and calories as candy bars.

We've also noticed that clumpier granola seems to have a higher percentage of oats to other ingredients. Oats stick to each other much easier and more firmly than they do with other, heavier ingredients. If it seems like your mix doesn't have a lot of oats, try adding another cup or two of rolled oats before cooking.

Honey. Sweetens the granola bars and helps bind the dry ingredients together.

Honey – Along with the nut butter, it helps all these ingredients stick together! I love its warm amber flavor in this recipe.

The trick to getting homemade granola bars to stick together is to use lots of sticky dates, nut butter AND coconut oil. If you don't the coconut oil in this recipe, these granola bars would be dry and crumbly. The oil makes them moist and hold together.

There are other ways to achieve clumpier granola. You can add more fat (in the form of butter or oil). If you're shooting for a somewhat healthy result, you can add some other binder, like an egg white or applesauce.

Nut butter is a super flavorful fat that serves multiple purposes in granola. It acts as a binding agent—along with additional coconut oil and whatever natural sweetener I've chosen—helping to pull the dry ingredients together into a wet, sticky mass for baking.

Yes, granola bars are healthy (when made of real grains, nuts, and fruit), but they're for energy, not weight loss. In fact, you could be gaining weight if they're your go-to snack.

What is the healthiest snack bar to eat? ›

Peanut butter is a classic treat for all ages. The right kind, enjoyed in moderation, can be a nutritious part of a healthy diet. Peanut butter provides healthy fats, protein, and fiber. It's also rich in vitamins and minerals such as vitamin E, niacin, and magnesium.

Clumpy Granola Method: Add Egg White

About this method: According to Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, “Nothing glues like protein.” While there are many granola recipes that include an egg white, I got this tip from the Big Cluster Maple Granola recipe in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.

Stop stirring halfway through.

You need to stir the granola as it bakes to encourage even toasting. But, about halfway through the total bake time, just let it be. As the sugars caramelize, they cause the ingredients to stick together and eventually form those oh-so-desirable clusters.

Most granola recipes add the nuts in the beginning and the nuts just cook too long and become bitter. Also cooking at a low temperature means there is no constant stirring like most recipes. You only stir when you add the nuts and coconut.

Clumpy Granola Method: Add Chickpea Flour

This no-stir approach calls for spreading the granola in an even layer on the baking sheet so it will naturally clump together as it bakes.

Honey - this helps everything stick together! Agave nectar will also work but I love making homemade granola bars with honey! Brown Sugar - more flavorful that white sugar!! Vanilla - you could also use chocolate extract if you prefer.

A few other common ingredients are whole nuts and seeds, grains like oats and crispy cereal (which offer fiber and a granola bar–like texture), cocoa powder or chocolate chips, and liquid sweeteners like maple syrup or honey, which help your bars stick together and taste delicious.

Cut into desired size and put each into a bag. Roll up the bag and tape! Store in fridge. My review: Ours tasted great but were a bit crumbly, which is why I'd follow another recipe like the one I linked above.