Dark Chocolate & Cherry Granola Bars

Dark Chocolate & Cherry Granola Bars

One of the ways I save money is to make everything from scratch.  98% of the time it comes out cheaper, and 100% of the time it comes out tasting way better. Premade breakfast foods is one of my favorite things to experiment with, but I do have some favorites that I make a lot… like my Peanut Butter & Honey breakfast cereal that I made a double to triple batch of weekly.

My other favorite thing to make in the premade breakfast food caterogry are granola bars.  These dark chocolate & cherry granola bars are my current homemade granola bar obsession.  They came to be from a trip to Aldi’s.  See, I never buy dried fruits or anything, but I saw they had an outrageously cheap price on the dried cherries.  I had a feeling they’d make for a great ingredient in a granola bar, so I snagged up a bag.  At a fantastic price, I must say!!  I have a love affair with Aldi’s.

Dark Chocolate & Cherry Granola Bars

They are really simple to make.  You could whip up a batch any weekday night easily, and have granola bars to snack on around the house, enjoy for breakfast, or to send along with your kids to school.

All you do is simply mix together all of your ingredients.  Use your hands if you want. I like to use my kitchen aid scraper attachment for this personally.

Dark Chocolate & Cherry Granola Bars

 

Dark Chocolate & Cherry Granola Bars

 

Dark Chocolate & Cherry Granola Bars

 

Press down the granola mixture down firmly in a 9×13 dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

 

Dark Chocolate & Cherry Granola Bars

Now, make sure you press it down firmly.  Really pack it in there!

Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the bars start to turn golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven, let cool in the pan for 5 minutes.  Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.  Once cooled, lay it out on the counter or a cutting board to slice it into bars.

Dark Chocolate & Cherry Granola Bars

Dark Chocolate & Cherry Granola Bars

Dark Chocolate & Cherry Granola Bars

 

Store them in an airtight container.

Dark Chocolate & Cherry Granola Bars

 

Dark Chocolate & Cherry Granola Bars

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar or raw cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup flax seed ground or whole
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup dried cherries
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1/2 cup applesauce or canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips or more if you wish!

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients together until completely mixed. Spread in a 9x13 baking pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Press down very firmly to pack the granola in place.
  • Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, and then remove from the pan to cool completely. Slice into bars. Store in an airtight container.