If you are a Nutella-lover, these Nutella granola bars are a must make!
I’m sure many of you are Costco fans. As a Costco member, I have routinely received their magazine for years. Around Christmas time they had an advertisement for their Kirkland Signature Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. For whatever reason when I saw that Costco was starting to carry it, an idea immediately lodged in my head that I couldn’t shake: ‘Make Nutella Granola Bars, Make Nutella Granola Bars, Make Nutella Granola Bars’…
So I bought their Kirkland Signature Brand of Chocolate Hazelnut Spread and started experimenting with homemade Nutella Granola Bars. I liked the results overall, but they were VERY sweet, so this was a catalyst in my making a homemade version of the chocolate hazelnut love, and make it so as people who like to eat mostly dairy free don’t have to worry about the contents of the recipe. AND make it so people who are watching their sugar intake can feel better about what they are eating! Have you ever looked at the ingredient label on the back of a Nutella container? Just askin’. I have a hard time using store bought Nutella knowing the first ingredient is sugar. There’s more sugar than hazelnuts. Crazy! So if you need a vegan or dairy-free version of Nutella or reduced sugar version, you can try this recipe here.
If you make them with any kind of store bought chocolate hazelnut spread, the granola bars won’t be dairy-free and the sweetener content may need to be adjusted.
Nutella Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 4 cups old fashioned oats gluten-free if needed
- 1/4 cup honey Use maple syrup for vegan. If using homemade Nutella, can use 1/2 cup honey.
- 1 cup Nutella or Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
- 1/3 cup nuts or seeds like hazelnuts pumpkin seeds, and/or sunflower seeds
- optional 1/4 cup chocolate drops
- optional 1 T each of ground flax seed, hemp hearts, chia seeds
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 320 degrees.
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Combine all ingredients VERY well in a bowl. Use an electric mixer if possible like a Kitchen Aid Mixer. Taste test to see if you need to add a little more honey.
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Mash the granola bars into the pan well. Mash, and then mash again. This is the most important step to help them hold together well.
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Bake for 17 minutes or until the edges barely start browning.
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Cool for 10 minutes, and cut into bars.
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Store in a cool dry place for up to a month.
My kids’ favorite granola bars started out as my biggest culinary mistake: no-bake chocolate peanut butter granola bars. Go here to check them out. Only 4 ingredients…
Go here for a complete list of recipes.
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