Granola bars are quite possibly the perfect snack. Compact, portable, satisfying: exactly what we need when we're stuck in traffic or off to the gym. Given the fact that entire aisles of grocery stores are dedicated to this snack food, is it even worth making granola bars yourself?
For purposes of comparison, we'll use Kashi TLC Honey Toasted 7-Grain Crunchy Granola Bars (henceforth referred to as Kashi Granola Bars. Because, goodness, that's a mouthful). And for the homemade recipe, let's use our own recipe for Crunchy Granola Bars. All costs were taken from Peapod Online Grocery unless otherwise noted.
• Kashi TLC Honey Toasted 7-Grain Crunchy Granola Bars from Kashi
• Recipe: Crunchy Granola Bars, makes about 12 bars
• Peapod Online Grocery
COST BREAKDOWN:
• Kashi Granola Bars:
TOTAL: $3.50
PER BAR: $0.58
• Homemade Crunchy Granola Bars
3 1/2 tbsp. soy butter (or almond or peanut butter): $0.70
3 tbsp. honey: $0.45
3 1/2 tbsp. brown rice syrup (Sourced from Amazon.com): $0.55
big splash of vanilla: $0.55
1 tbsp. brown sugar: $0.05
1 1/2 cups puffed wheat/rice/kamut: $0.35
1/2 cup bran buds/Grape-Nuts cereal: $0.33
1 1/2 cups rolled oats: $0.94
1/3 cup dried cranberries: $0.83
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (Sourced from Amazon.com): $0.72
1/3 cup salted sunflower seeds (or a mixture with raw): $0.30
TOTAL: $5.77
PER BAR: $0.48
TIME BREAKDOWN
• Kashi Granola Bars: 0 Minutes
• Homemade Crunchy Granola Bars: Total Time - 40 Minutes; Active Time: about 15 Minutes
CONVENIENCE
The biggest thing here seems to be gathering all the ingredients together. Once you have all of them stocked in your pantry, a batch of granola bars is easy peasy. Plus most of these items can be bought in bulk or in large containers, which will cut the cost down even more and ensure a ready supply for several weeks.
True, you do have to plan ahead a little. You can't make a batch of granola bars for your afternoon snack if you're running out the door in five minutes. But once the bars are made, they become just as easy to grab-and-go as store-bought bars.
TASTINESS AND HEALTHFULNESS
The grocery store offerings for granola bars are diverse. If you want chocolate or peanut butter or dried fruit, there are plenty of choices. Organic, gluten-free, nut-free, it's possible to find just about whatever you want these days. Heck, if you just want a candy bar disguised as health food, you can go that route, too!
The point here is that there are good options for granola bars out there. Ones that are truly healthy and taste quite good. I have a fondness for these Kashi bars, and used to have Nutrigrain Fruit and Nut bars on my weekly shopping list.
But homemade granola bars definitely have their appeal. I think it can be tricky to get the textures and the flavors just right, but committing to a little trial and error would certainly help us get the kind of bar we want. And this is becoming a common refrain in this column, but it's a huge plus to be able to control the exact ingredients going into the bar. Not only can you pick the flavors and ingredients you want, but you don't have to worry about preservatives or other odd additions to your snack food.
MAKE OR BUY?
Homemade granola bars aren't hard to make once you have all the right ingredients and they'll certainly save you money in the long term. It's hard to fight against the convenience and habit of picking up a box of bars at the store, but it really seems like it's worth trying to make our own.
VERDICT: Make
Do any of you regularly make your own granola bars?
Related: Make or Buy? Macaroni and Cheese
(Images: Kashi and Faith Durand)
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I make my own granola bars. You're right that it's completely easy to do, especially if you used dried fruit like blueberries that doesn't need to be chopped, in which case you just toss everything in a bowl, toss with your wet ingredients, press into a pan, and bake. I like doing it at home because they are generally much healthier than what you would get in the store, plus you can mix and match your favorite fruits and nuts.
I've never made crunchy granola bars, but chewy ones are the BEST homemade! They're also the perfect shippable gift for new parents (we've done that three times now with a great response).
http://bowenappetit.com/2010/09/23/chewy-granola-bars-marshmallows-and-quaker-dude-optional/
I find store bought bars to be expensive and not worth it, but I've yet to find a recipe that's worth making. Brown rice syrup and puffed rice are essential, though. However, the best granola cereal recipe I've ever made is from Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry.
I have yet to find a truly healthy nut-free granola bar. I'm allergic to tree nuts and that's a main ingredient for bars that aren't actually candy bars.
I don't make granola bars (primal=no grain) but I do like the primal version. Very tasty, and somewhat similar to the Nature Valley fruit and nut bars. Also good when their half frozen and you are hot from hiking.
LOVE this post! I usually prefer to make my own - usually find it is cheaper and healthier, and a whole lot more fresh. Keep these kinds of posts coming! They are right up my alley.
Kelly
I started making chewy granola bars based on a recipe from Smitten Kitchen. My whole family loves them! We keep a container in the fridge & reach for them daily. I appreciate that I can use what I have & also control the amount of sweet that goes into them. Try it!
This is a situation, too, when there's a LOT of up-front costs, when, on the first go, you buy the whole jar/box of each ingredient. And then you have to seal and store all those bags/boxes. In my family of two, it takes a long time and some creative storage to see those savings. I'm sure for a bigger family or for a real granola bar enthusiast, though, it'd be a no-brainer. On the deliciousness front, though, these look great!
We make our own, severe peanut & tree-nut allergies prevent us from store-bought.
I'm getting really good at it! Tough to source many of the dried fruits---most have crossed paths with nuts along the way, allergy is so severe that invisible residue=life-threatening.
Saving for a dehydrator!
BTW, a wee bit of applesauce in the recipe will add a softer, chewier bite that is kid-friendly.
Like MsAmy, I have had wild success using the SmittenKitchen recipe as inspiration; it produces a chewy granola bar, rather than a crunchy one. However, I am of the chewy school, and abhor crunchy granola bars (unless they are pulverized and layered in a yogurt parfait).
Moreover, making your own allows you to gleefully abuse the bulk bins at the grocery store. While prepackaged dried cherries can run up into the double digits, a mere handful for granola bars is a totally reasonable expense.