These easy no-bake granola bars contain dried cranberries and walnuts, and have a hint of cinnamon.
Say hello to our new favorite snack, No-Bake Cranberry Cinnamon Granola Bars!
This is the first recipe that I “tried” to film. I say “tried” because I don’t have a tripod yet, and despite my best efforts the amount of camera shake was just not good (in my perfectionistic opinion). So, the video has been safely hidden away in a file on my computer (the recycle bin actually) and the filming will have to wait until another time.
Yes, you read the title correctly. These are no-bake! I already have a couple of baked granola bar recipes on my website (which are super healthy and I really like by the way). You can check them out here and here. This new recipe was born out of a desire to come up with a granola bar that doesn’t require baking time. Also, Casey prefers his granola bars to have a chewier texture than the baked ones, so I came up with this version to make him happy too. I think it worked because he’s been telling me each day how much he likes these and how he wants them every single day for the rest of his life.
I tried to keep them on the “healthier” side, by sweetening them with whole cane sugar and honey. The dried cranberries, walnuts, and cinnamon make for an incredibly delicious combination. (As in, I took a bite and was amazed at how good these things are.)
A couple of quick things to note:
1. Make sure you follow the recipe exactly when it comes to boiling the honey mixture on the stove. If you don’t boil it long enough, your bars will probably fall apart, and if you boil it too long, well, I can’t say exactly what will happen because I haven’t tried that, so just follow the directions. 🙂
2. I’ve found that these bars are the most chewy and delicious when they’re slightly cooler than room temperature. Of course, maybe part of that is because it’s so hot right now! I recommend storing them in the refrigerator. That’s what we do with ours, and then we just grab one whenever we want a snack.
No-Bake Cranberry Cinnamon Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (reduced sugar)
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup whole cane sugar (I use Sucanat)
- 1/4 cup butter
Directions
Lightly grease a 9×9 baking dish with cooking spray (to keep bars from sticking) and set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together oats, walnuts, dried cranberries, and cinnamon until combined. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine butter, honey, and whole cane sugar, stirring frequently as butter melts. Once butter is melted, allow mixture to come to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, set your timer for 2 minutes and keep at a boil over medium-low heat for exactly 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove mixture from heat, immediately add to oat mixture, and stir together until well mixed. Press into prepared baking dish. Let cool at room temperature until completely cool and then cut into bars. If your bars are a little soft, pop them in the refrigerator for a bit and they will harden up.
~K in the Kitchen
KintheKitchen 
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