I feel a little bad that my two most recent recipes are both “no-bake” and in the granola bar category. It should be no surprise by now that I love both of those, but I should mix things up a little, eh?
But I do have a reason to be posting this specific recipe today – because this was the recipe for my most recent food column in our local paper on honey. Honey is really amazing stuff, and not just because it’s super sweet and yummy. The health benefits from raw, local honey are incredible! Although, a lot of the honey that’s readily available at grocery stores is heated, and/or from bees that are fed a liquid sugar instead of allowed to do what they normally do, which makes that honey no better than plain old refined white sugar. Sad, isn’t it?
I do have plenty of recipes that use honey but quite a few of them involve heating the honey(which is still better than using a completely refined sugar) so for this column I made a no-bake recipe using honey so that you can get the most benefits out of your honey 
As with any granola bar recipe, these can be switched up so many different ways. I used almond butter, but if you need to avoid nuts for any reason, sunflower seed butter or another nut free alternative can easily be substituted. Don’t have almond butter? Peanut butter works just as well. I used dried cherries that I dried last summer, but if you don’t have a source of them any other dried fruit is fine! Mix it up, these will still be super delicious.
Also, just as a note – these would be a lot of fun if you just take a large spoonful and press it together in your hands to make little granola bites or balls. If they don’t stick together at first, chill the “dough” for 10-15 minutes first. Also, just be sure to store the granola balls in a cool place so they keep their shape and in an airtight container or wrap them individually or in groups of 2(or as many as you’d like at a time).
One more quick note – these should last fine in a school lunch, but I do prefer them a little cold because they hold together better. They do crumble easier when they’re at room temperature, but even if they fall apart a little they’re still good to take on trips.
Makes 10-12 bars
- 3/4 C crispy cereal(I used Kashi Original, but look for anything whole grain with very little if any added sugar)
- 3/4 C puffed grain cereal(such as puffed wheat or puffed kamut)
- 3/4 C old fashioned rolled oats
- 2 tbsp ground flax seed
- 1/3 C dried cherries(or other dried fruit)
- 1/4 C raw honey, preferably local to you
- 1/2 C natural almond butter(or natural peanut butter. For a nut free option use sunflower seed butter or soy nut butter)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch salt
- 1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
Prepare an 8×8 pan by lightly oiling it, or just lining with wax paper.
Warm the honey and almond butter slightly if it’s not already liquid at room temperature. Mix in the ground flax, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl mix the cereals and rolled oats. Add the wet ingredients and mix very well. Press the mixture into the pan and flatten with the back of a spatula. Place in the fridge till firm, remove and cut into bars and wrap individually. If the bars break or crumble while cutting, just press back together before storing. Store in the fridge or freezer individually wrapped and in an airtight container.
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
No way!!!!! I have a recipe for triple almond Krispy bars that I’m posting on Monday that are almost identical!!!!!! Love your version! I meant to make a pb and cherry version but only had almonds, enough almond butter and cinnamon on hand to make what I wanted. We must be on the same wavelength!!yummmmmmmm
I hope you had a wonderful Easter! Have you had the baby yet? Been thinking about you!
Nora @ Natural noshing recently posted..Triple Almond Krispy Bars
Aw, thank you, you too!! No baby yet, but I’m sure it’s going to be pretty soon!
Oh how I love homemade granola bars! You can never have too many recipes for them.
Maryea @ Happy Healthy Mama recently posted..Easy chocolate bird nests
No bake = boo ya! Easy.. Quick.. And looks delicious. I grew up hating cherries with a fierce passion. But times have been changing lately, and I think I should really try this recipe out. Delightful pictures, I’m a new fan of your blog! Much love.
-Jesse, siblingfoodwar.com
I have been experimenting a lot with homemade granola bars as well. It’s so much fun!
chinmayie @ love food eat recently posted..How to eat Indian Gooseberries/Amla/Nellikai
Nothing wrong with the no-bake, on the contrary, I find them very good, no, they are great! I love to munch a couple of energy bars after yoga
just great.
Happy Easter!
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted..Provençal Tomato Tartelettes
Love the fact that these are no bake. The ingredient list is superb and like you mention, these are good as bars or bite size balls. These would be an excellent healthy energy snack for kids
Eat Good 4 Life recently posted..Apple pie oatmeal
always looking for good granola bar recipes to take to work. i’ll definitely have to try this one.
em recently posted..amazing weed
I Love no bake recipes – they are the best for quick and easy treats, love this!
Heather recently posted..chocolate chia cookies
Anything that is no-bake is good in my book… my oven sucks and burns anything in it’s path
These sound great!
Lou recently posted..washing
I keep meaning to make homemade granola bars, and these look awesome! So east too!
Katie@Cozydelicious recently posted..Aunt Beth’s Chocolate Farfel Cookies
I love adding new recipes to my ever growing collection of granola bar recipes! And I love that this is no-bake! Thanks for sharing
Marsha @ The Harried Cook recently posted..Easter Cupcakes & Homemade Fondant!
I love homemade granola bars, so the more recipes, the merrier! The cherry almond flavor sounds delicious and I love that you kept the honey raw! I’m all about maximizing nutrition.
Joanne recently posted..Recipe: Tofu Braised in Rhubarb Sauce {the food matters project}
I love no bake treats! These granola bars look so tasty. I love how easy and healthy they are!
Chelsea @ Naturally Sweet Recipes recently posted..Almond Banana Blitzes
wow, these look great!!! Package them and sell them at a farmers market!!!
Rawkinmom recently posted..We Experienced a Kitchen Fire!
I’ve been on a granola bar rampage lately! I have Nora’s recipe on my list and now yours. They look amazing!
I had no idea that heating honey, just on the stove, was bad. I also need to look into getting local honey. I can get it but I use so much of it that I really need to find a good price. I just recently realized that I use about 2 kilos of honey a month. And I only bake with it.
Thanks for sharing the honey info! And how neat that you write a column for your local newspaper.
Erin @ Texanerin Baking recently posted..Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Easter Eggs
Heidi, these sound wonderful with just delicious, healthy ingredients, I’m bookmarking this!
The Café Sucré Farine recently posted..Mixed Green Salad w/ Strawberries, Mango, Edamame & Honey-Lime Dressing
Wow, these look great! No bake and totally customizable. Love it!
Cindy @ Once Upon a Loaf recently posted..Tipsy Banana Bread – Guest post on My Baking Addiction
Homemade granola bars are so much tastier and healthier (and cheaper!) than the store bought stuff. I like how versatile these are. And almond butter + cherries (ok and chocolate) are my favorite foods!!
Elina (Healthy and Sane) recently posted..Farm school brunch and how I was inspired to sign up for a CSA (and you should too!!)
I love no-bake anything…who wouldn’t!? I am in a serious breakfast on-the-go rut…these are just what I needed to run across today! Thank you!!!
Nicole, RD recently posted..Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese Glaze
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