A Well-balanced Chocolate Granola Bar


Don't you love such grab-and-go pick-me-up bars?.With summer around the corner ,which also means travel adventures and excursions,a well-balanced snack like such will not just save few bucks but also satisfy your hunger while avoiding the empty calories from the junk snacking.Needless to say these bar also make a splendid breakfast-on-the-go.
Last week I bought this granola cereal ,only to be baffled by its sugar content,18grams per serving,that's very sweet( nearly as much sugar as in a chocolate candy bar!).I was carried away by the alluring "all natural,low-fat,good source of fiber" catch-words of health foods on the box and overlooked the high sugar content.Now what do you do to mend such mistakes? The only fix I could think of is to make this chocolate granola bar with no added sugar and added nutrition.The result was very satisfying Well-balanced low-sugar bar ,don't you agree?
You could also try my Oats dates or Fruit Dark Chocolate & Almond Granola bars granola made with plain oats in case you don't have such sweet granola in store.Or check the variation of the same recipe with plain oats at the end of the post.

(Makes about 6 rectangular bars)
Ingredients
2 cups Granola Cereal(I used this),coarsely ground in a food processor or blender.
1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup Brown Rice flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup nuts(Almonds or pistachios or walnuts),coarsely pulverized in a processor or grinder.
1/4 cup raisins or cranberries or cherries,coarsely chopped[I didn't use any dry fruits,the cereal was already mixed with raisins]
1 large Organic egg ,Vegans could substitute with 1/2 cup firm tofu
1/4 cup flax seed meal
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup reduced fat milk or soy milk[add a little more if the mixture is too dry]
2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil

*you could use 1/4 cup of brown sugar if the cereal is low in sugar(i.e <6grams).
** the brown rice flour adds a little crunch to the bar besides the nutrition.Whole wheat flour or all purpose flour can also be substituted.

Method
Preheat Oven to 350F.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.Whisk egg in another smaller bowl,mix in oil and milk.Now gradually add this to the dry mixture until well incorporated.
Spoon the mixture on to a baking pan(8X8 inches).Now is the time to score using a table knife in to required size portions.
Bake for 20 minutes .Remove from the oven;leave in the pan to cool slightly.Separate along the cuts.cool on rack,store in air tight container in a refrigerator for up to a week.

Variation with Plain rolled oats
2 cups whole or quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup Brown Rice flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nuts(Almonds or pistachios or walnuts),coarsely pulverized in a processor or grinder.
1/4 cup raisins or cranberries or cherries,coarsely chopped
1 large Organic egg ,Vegans could substitute with 1/2 cup firm tofu
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup brown or white sugar
1/4 teaspoon Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup reduced fat milk or soy milk[or use 100% fruit juice]
3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil


The Grab n Go Healthful bars are off to Ben's Homemade # 3 - Bars and Poornima's For the love of chocolate.

Comments

FH said…
WOW!! Looks almost professional girl, great bars to have for breakfast. My daughter would love the Chocolate in the morning! :D
Sharmistha Guha said…
The bars look awesome!
Anonymous said…
Truly yummy Yasmeen..looks great...not a choco here.
Finla said…
I have neve rmade anykid of health bars at home and have been wanting to make them too, have lot of dry fruits shoule make them.
This looks yummy.
Gita Jaishankar said…
The bars look gorgeous Yasmeen, nice color. I sometimes have regular granola bars during weekdays for a very quick breakfast! Maybe I can make your in a big batch and eat them instead :)
yummy yum.. they look great yasmeen. i want them now.
mona said…
Yummy an nutritious, a combo that we all love.
They look so good, will be preparing these tomm inshallah, thanks for sharing yasmeen!
Subhie Arun said…
they looks sooo gud...grt bars 4 bfast...my son love chocolate.....will try soon
Indhu said…
yummy looking bars... awesome recipe Yasmeen :)
Recipeswap said…
Yasmeen this is not only healthy but looks so delicious.You outdo yourself each time.
Soma said…
I hate store bought bars.leaves a funny feeling behind after i eat them.

This looks perfect!
Kay said…
Yasmeen, I make similar bars too. Yours look even nicer! :)
Priya Suresh said…
Bars looks yummy, great and healthy bars for a lazy sunday!Great work Yasmeen!
Maria Verivaki said…
i'd love one right now!
Anonymous said…
Hi Yasmeen :),

I'm so really,really glad you posted such a recipe.I have been looking for a recipe for home made bars for a long time.Once I knew a girl who knew one,but I lost touch with her.So...I'll make these bars for sure :).
You know what is my problem,that many times here in Slovenia or in Italy I don't find the ingredients for your recipes.Sometimes I think I'd like to cook some of your dishes,but than I just leave it.Thus,I was wondering,if it's posssible,could you once post a more European dish...just for me,your sweety who loves you so much :).

XOXOXO
Wonderful. You really make an effort to make the best nutritious stuff an dhat's off on that. I have a request. I have bought Edamame for the first time and I have no clue on what to make with it. Can you post a recipe using edamame pls or if I'm asking for too much atleast I would appreciate some suggestions. Thanks Yasmeen
Lavanya said…
looks awesome yasmeen..looks like a pro..healthy too :)
Manju said…
i will definitely not skip breakfast if i had these! delish.
Uma said…
ooh, those look lovely. A delicious breakfast with homemade granola bars. Yummy!
Malar Gandhi said…
Oh you are a genius the fix this at home dear. Looks very professional,healthy, yummy....awesome!:)
Cham said…
Looks so perfect those bars , none will deny grabing more than one!
Cynthia said…
I love your new header!
Varsha Vipins said…
Yeah true..Those store bars are really tempting that we overlook the sugar conetent.These ones are too good Yasmeen..Me toomade an oats bar last time,but used wheat flour though..ANy particular reason for Brown rice flour dr?
awesome choco bars... lovely yasmeen lovely.
Raks said…
sounds so filling enough for break fast!
Yasmeen said…
Thank you all for the kind comments:)

Jasmina,most of my baked breads are close to European ,please do check them out and lemme know.I'll try to post an exclusive Slovenian recipe:)

Varsha,the brown rice flour adds crunch to the bar besides the wholesome nutrition.Whole wheat or all-purpose flour will work too:)

Smitha,I do plan to post recipes with edamame,hopefully I'll start with one in my next post:)
Ashwini said…
Awesome looking bars. Perfect healthy and nutritious bars. Very tempting.
wow..the bars are looking yummy!!!!
plz pass me some yasmeen...
Zee said…
Yumm yummmmm...I am all drools and starry eyed over those chocolate bars :D
Sharmila said…
You always come up with the most wonderful creations Yasmeen! Chocolate bar looks too good. :-)
Great recipe Yasmeen.
I am looking for a no bake granola recipe...do u have one in mind?
Hijabee said…
Just what I needed. Again Yasmeen, good job :)
Shama Nagarajan said…
wow..what a yummy delicious one...
AnuSriram said…
Delicious and healthy bars.. Nice for on the go!
Pooja said…
The bars looks awesome Yasmeen..Great post :)
Wow everything is so good..I am here for the first time ...Love ur blog. I will be regular visitor of ur blog
Bharti said…
I think of all the ones on the market, the quaker ones are surprisingly complicated and sweet. Do you have a trader joe's where you live Yasmeen? They sell bars which are pretty decent when you don't have time to make your own. These chocolate ones sound delicious..right up my alley.
Vani said…
chocolate in the morning sure sounds great! :) bars look good, yasmeen!
Chef Jeena said…
These look really good Yasmeen. I love all of the healthy ingredients and I bet they taste fabulous.
Dori said…
I eat some kind of granola bar every day... this one looks so delicious and healthy :)

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