“Leave the Quaker Bars Behind” | Simple Sourdough Granola Bars

Fuelling my kids properly, is something super important to me. These Sourdough Granola Bars will have you leaving the Quaker Oat Bars on the shelf! They truly are so much better, taste & health wise! Having two little kids, I totally understand the need for easy grab snacks, and I love to make things that replace store bought convenience. The thing about granola bars at the store, is usually they are full of things like corn syrup, flavourings, and things I cannot even pronounce. On the flip side, if they aren’t packed with gross ingredients, they are incredibly expensive! These sourdough granola bars cost pennies to make, and they store in the fridge for weeks. You can even wrap them up so that they are easy to pack on the go.

There are many variations that you can do with these granola bars, you can add dried fruit, you could do chocolate chips directly in the bar instead of drizzling chocolate on top. I sometimes like to do chopped nuts and pumpkin seeds, whatever you want to add in usually tastes great.

Can you make them without Sourdough Discard?

Yes, you can! While I do love and suggest using sourdough discard, I understand that not everyone keeps a starter. If this is the case for you, simply just replace the sourdough discard with 1/2 cup of flour! I have used whole wheat, and all purpose. Coconut or almond flour would work as well- for a gluten free option. If you are using coconut or almond flour, and your mixture is feeling really dry, try adding a couple tablespoons of milk, this will prevent them from getting crumbly.

What you’ll need:

• Medium Mixing Bowl
• Dough Whisk or Wooden Spoon
• 9 x 9 Baking Dish
• Parchment Paper
• Sharp Knife

Ingredients:

How to make Sourdough Granola Bars?

Start by preheating your oven to 350 F.

Add 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/2 butter to a saucepan, heat on medium/low until just melted. You do not want the mixture to come to a boil, the goal is to just melt them together. Then add the melted mixture to a mixing bowl.

To your peanut butter and butter mixture, add 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 tsp sea salt and 1 tsp vanilla, and mix well. Then add your 1/2 cup of sourdough discard, and mix again. If you are going to skip the sourdough discard and use flour, then you can add the 1/2 of flour in with the rolled oats.

Once all of your wet ingredients are well mixed, it is time to add all of your dry ingredients. Add in 3 1/2 cups rolled oats, 1/4 cup hemp hearts, and 1/4 cup shredded coconut. Or whatever variation of add ins that you want. Dried fruit is a really nice option, especially dried blueberries! I have also added roasted pumpkin seeds and they add a really nice texture and flavour. Mix everything together very well.

You can also add chocolate chips in at this time, but I prefer to drizzle the chocolate on top.

Once your mixture is thoroughly mixed, it is time to press it into the pan. Line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper. I like to run my parchment under water, and crumple it into a ball. This sounds weird but it becomes super malleable and easy to lay flat in any pan! After you have lined the baking dish, pour granola bar mixture in. With wet hands or the back of spoon, press mixture into the pan, evenly distributing it along the bottom. Really press along the edges, this is where they can become crumbly once you cut them. If you spend some extra time really pressing it down, they should not come out crumbly once baked.

Place in the oven, on a middle rack and bake for 25 minutes. When the bars are finished, the edges should have started to brown. Once they are, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Next you are going to lift the bars out, and place them on a cooling rack until they are completely cooled. This part is important: you do not want to cut into these while they are still warm, or they will crumble. It is very important to let them fully cool off before cutting into them, this is will keep them from crumbling.

Now that your bars are completely cooled, it is time to melt your chocolate for drizzling! To a small saucepan add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, and 2 tbsp of coconut oil. Heat on low until the chocolate chips melt, stirring constantly. Chocolate burns easily, so watch that your temperature is not too high. You can also use a double boiler for this, that can help prevent burning.

After your chocolate has melted, remove from heat and transfer your granola bars to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut bars into desired sizes and gently pull them apart, just a bit so that the chocolate can drip down on the sides. Using a spoon, drizzle chocolate over top of the bars. Place your bars on a plate or flat surface and pop them into the refrigerator for 1 hour. This cooling time just allows the chocolate to harden, and once it does they are ready to eat, or store for later!

Storage Notes:

My favourite way to store these, and to cut parchment squares and wrap them, tucking the ends in. They stay really well, and it just makes them that much easier to grab and take with you. Then I place all the wrapped bars in a freezer ziploc and store in the fridge. They last in the fridge for about 2-3 weeks. You can also freeze them this way and they will keep for months!

Alternatively, if you don’t want to wrap them, you can just place them in a sealed glass container, and take them out as needed.