Granola Bar Bites

Now that The Rookie is getting bigger and squishing my stomach up by my ribs somewhere (seriously this kid loves to get as close to my ribs as possible and then kick like crazy, isn’t she sweet?) I’m finding that I need to eat small snacks and meals through out each day.  I’ve always loved making my own granola so I figured with a few tweaks to the recipe I should be able to make them into granola bars.  It turned out to be pretty easy and I really like them…I hope you do too!

 What you need:

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey)
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
*You could use all sorts of fun stuff (like flax seed, chia seeds, dried fruit) in place of the last 3 ingredients, thats just what I had at home.  I think next time I’ll definitely include either raisins or dried cranberries.

Okay here is what you do:
1. In a big bowl, mix the butter, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla till its nice and creamy
2. Add the oats, flour, baking soda, and cinnamon slowly till it all gets mixed together
3. Add your choice of nuts / mix-ins and stir until just incorporated
4. Grease a baking sheet (really well) and form the granola into balls (golf ball sized).  Spread them out on the sheet (they will expand a little bit so leave some room between them)
5. Place them in the freezer for about 10 minutes (this really helps them to firm up and hold their shape)
6. Bake for about 10 minutes (until golden brown on top) at 325 degrees
7. Let cool entirely before removing them from the tray and storing them

Thats it! the recipe made 12 golf ball sized granola bites, they grew a little bit when baked but I found that 1 was the perfect snack with a glass of milk (or tea).
Enjoy!

Linking up with: The Modest Mom, Six Sisters Stuff, The Homestead Blog Hop and The Morris Tribe