My husband has a secret. He’s addicted to granola bars. I know this is not life threatening, but at close to $3.00 a box for the semi-healthy versions, it sure is a drain on my wallet. After recently perusing some homemade granola bars on Pinterest, I decided to tackle the challenge and make my husband a version with some real hunger curbing power. Using a mixture of whole oats and assorted seeds and nuts, I whipped up a batch of these super tasty Triple Nut and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars. Needless to say, he couldn’t wait for them to even cool off before he was digging into the pan for a taste!
I made this recipe before I had my stand mixer, and I am giving a fair warning if you plan to make these…be careful using a hand mixer. It can be done, but it did almost kill mine because the oat mixture is so dense and thick.
Once the batter was baked to a light golden brown, I removed the pan from the oven, and allowed it to cool just enough to safely cut into bars. The bars were amazing warm. The oats and nuts really shine in these bars, but they also have just enough chocolate chips to add the right amount of sweetness. I preferred sprinkling the chips over the top and pressing in the batter before baking, but if you want to mix them through the batter, you can do that too!
After the bars were cut (and I claimed all the darker golden baked edges of the pan for myself), I let them cool completely before prepping for storage. I was not about to let my husband eat the entire batch in one day. I wrapped half of the bars individually in wax paper, sealed them in a zip bag, and then popped them into the freezer. The bars quickly became my husband’s go-to snack afternoon snack to keep him satisfied until dinner.
What’s your favorite grab and go snack that keeps you satisfied between meals.
- 1 Cup of all-purpose Flour
- ¾ Cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 Cups of regular oats (quick cooking work also)
- ½ Cup of softened butter
- 1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
- ½ Cup sunflower kernels
- ½ Cup rough chopped almonds
- ½ Cup Pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
- ½ Cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (feel free to adjust more or less for personal preference)
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, oats, and butter until it makes a crumbly mixture.
- Add in sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter to mixture, and mix thoroughly. Note: the mixture will be very heavy and thick, so if you are using a hand mixer, be careful.
- Fold in almonds and sunflower kernels into dough mixture.
- Press mixture firmly into a Pam sprayed 9×13 glass baking dish.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips over top of dough. Press chips into dough slightly.
- Bake for 30 minutes in oven, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely. Cut into bars or squares and serve.
