These Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars are an easy no-bake granola bar recipe that uses 10 common wholesome ingredients. They are a great recipe for a grab-and-go snack or breakfast item and a chocolate lover’s dream.
The recipe makes 8 large bars or 16 smaller ones. This recipe is vegan if you use brown rice syrup and dairy-free chocolate. It can also be made with honey and any kind of chocolate and tastes great either way. Try our Sesame Tahini Cookies or our Cranberry White Chocolate Granola for other great snack ideas.
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Sun Dried Sour – Tart Cherries-Organic
What Ingredients are in Chocolate Granola Bars?
Most of these ingredients are very easy to come by, but if you are seeking a vegan treat, you may have to hunt down brown rice syrup and dairy-free chocolate. Plus a sugar-free almond butter.
We have easily accessible alternatives if you are not seeking a vegan snack with changing the brown rice syrup to honey, almond butter to peanut butter (watch the sweetness though), or another nut butter of your choosing.
If you don’t have almond extract, vanilla extract is a great alternative too. Try to keep them as healthy as possible though, and adding in less to no sugar is key for a healthier snack. Chocolate also does contain sugar, but dark is much less.
These chocolate granola bars can also be made gluten free by sourcing rolled oats that haven’t been contaminated and puffed rice cereal that is gluten free. The rest of the items you should be okay with.
The recipe takes about 20 minutes to pull together, but there is setting time also needed of a few hours, so keep that in mind when you are making these. Great even if made the night before, and then they will be ready and waiting for you in the morning.
Ingredients
- Dried sour cherries (or sub craisins or raisins)
- Rolled oats
- Puffed rice cereal
- Chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate)
- Sliced or chopped almonds
- Coconut oil
- Cocoa powder
- Brown rice syrup (or sub honey)
- Creamy almond butter (or sub another nut butter if desired)
- Almond extract (or sub vanilla extract)
- For optional toppings:
- Chocolate chips
- Coconut oil
- Sliced almonds
- Several pinches of flaky salt
How To Make Chocolate Granola Bars
Kids love granola bars, and these turn out great every time. No need to even preheat the oven as these treats are a no-bake alternative. They can also be created nut free if that is something that is wanted or needed.
Line an 8X8 pan with parchment paper and set it aside. I recommend cutting the parchment paper just over twice as long as the pan so you can fold it over later to help you press the bars into the pan and also easier to use to pull them out with too.
In a large bowl, add the oats, rice cereal, cherries, chocolate chips, and almonds. Stir to combine. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, add the coconut oil and heat over medium-low until melted.
Add the cocoa powder and stir into the oil, then stir in the brown rice syrup and almond butter. Keep stirring until thoroughly combined. It will be a thick mixture, but if it’s too thick and dry to stir, add 1 tablespoon of milk or water to help it come together. Turn off the heat and stir in the almond extract.
Once the wet ingredients are well-combined, carefully pour this mixture over the dry ingredients in the large bowl and use a large spatula or wooden spoon to mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
It may take a few minutes and a little effort to get this mixture to come together- use clean hands to finish incorporating all the ingredients if necessary.
Pressing the Bars and Refrigerating
Dump the granola bar mixture into the prepared baking pan and use a spatula or spoon to start pressing the mixture evenly into the corners of the pan.
Fold the excess parchment paper onto the top of the mixture and use your hands to firmly press down and compress the granola bars.
Transfer the pan to the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or the freezer for 1 hour to set.
Cut the bars into 8 bars or 16 squares according to your preference. The larger bars are going to make a hearty snack.
For the optional toppings, melt the chocolate chips with a teaspoon of coconut oil and drizzle over the top of the bars after they’ve cooled. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top as well and flaky salt to taste.
Keep refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for 6 weeks. They’ll also be fine at room temperature for a day or two as long as your home isn’t too warm.
Are Chocolate Granola Bars Healthy?
Granola bars are considered a convenient and healthy snack or treat. Some bars are even high in fiber and a good source of protein. They are also incredibly versatile and a great no-bake alternative.
They are awesome for breakfast, as a snack and they kill that mid-afternoon hunger in a healthy way. But beware of hidden calories and sugar in a lot of the commercially produced bars. They can have as much carbs, sugar and empty calories as a candy bar.
The best alternative is to make your own, so you know exactly what is going into your granola bars. Chocolate seems like an indulgence, but if you use dark chocolate with little or no sugar, your indulgence can be a very healthy choice.
Try a nibble of the chocolate, and then you can gauge how sweet you would like it with the honey or brown rice syrup. Also, experiment and add in what you would like to make the granola bars your own.
More Granola Recipes
We love granola in this house and made many batches to use up nuts and fruits after Christmas. I will have to share with you that recipe also soon. I couldn’t get enough.
As for the ones that we have for you today on the site, we love a great bowl of this simple Homemade Granola Recipe.
Another granola indulgence is these Tropical Coconut Chewy Granola Cookies. Plus we have made two other granola bars; one called a Playground Granola Bar, which is great for a lunch box. They are thinner and not too filling for little ones yet packed full of goodness to keep them going.
And lastly, we have a bit sweeter version, but with hemp hearts, sunflower seeds, chocolate chips, blueberries, and craisins, and they are just called Granola Bars.
Yup, we are big fans of granola here and all the goodness that goes into them.
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup puffed rice cereal
- ½ cup dried sour cherries or sub craisins or raisins
- ½ cup chocolate chips I used dark chocolate
- ½ cup sliced or chopped almonds
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup brown rice syrup or sub honey
- 1 cup creamy almond butter or sub another nut butter if desired
- 1 teaspoon almond extract or sub vanilla extract
- For optional toppings:
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- Several pinches of flaky salt
Instructions
- Line an 8X8 pan with parchment paper and set it aside. I recommend cutting the parchment paper just over twice as long as the pan so you can fold it over later to help you press the bars into the pan and also easier to use to pull them out with too.
- In a large bowl, add the oats, rice cereal, cherries, chocolate chips, and almonds. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, add the coconut oil and heat over medium-low until melted.
- Add the cocoa powder and stir into the oil, then stir in the brown rice syrup and almond butter. Keep stirring until thoroughly combined. It will be a thick mixture, but if it’s too thick and dry to stir, add 1 tablespoon of milk or water to help it come together. Turn off the heat and stir in the almond extract.
- Once the wet ingredients are well-combined, carefully pour this mixture over the dry ingredients in the large bowl and use a large spatula or wooden spoon to mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- It may take a few minutes and a little effort to get this mixture to come together- use clean hands to finish incorporating all the ingredients if necessary.
- Dump the granola bar mixture into the prepared baking pan and use a spatula or spoon to start pressing the mixture evenly into the corners of the pan.
- Fold the excess parchment paper onto the top of the mixture and use your hands to firmly press down and compress the granola bars.
- Transfer the pan to the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or the freezer for 1 hour to set.
- Cut the bars into 8 bars or 16 squares according to your preference. The larger bars are going to make a hearty snack.
- For the optional toppings, melt the chocolate chips with a teaspoon of coconut oil and drizzle over the top of the bars after they’ve cooled. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top as well and flaky salt to taste.
- Keep refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for 6 weeks. They’ll also be fine at room temperature for a day or two as long as your home isn’t too warm.
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