June 2021 · Jess in the Kitchen

Homemade Baked Granola Bars

Last Updated on May 29, 2022 by Jess

The internet is full of no bake energy balls, granolas, you name it. And don’t get me wrong, I dig them. I mean, I have my own recipe for energy balls that is dynamite. However, no bake energy balls and granola bars typically need to be refrigerated, and as an active runner, this isn’t always ideal. So of course I set out to create my own homemade baked granola bars. And oh my goodness, these are a delight.

These homemade baked granola bars are full of simple, clean eating ingredients that are likely to be in your pantry if you are a homemade granola kind of friend. They also come together quickly, with a total bake time of under 30 minutes and all your work can be done in the first 8 minutes or so. How great is that? And friends, they pair a little peanut butter and chocolate without being overwhelming. All the winning, am I right? Let’s get baking!

Your Ingredients for Homemade Baked Granola Bars

1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup oat flour (store bought, or better yet, just processed in your food processor)
½ cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
½ cup chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, peanuts, etc)
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup honey
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup chocolate chips
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon chia seeds

Your Steps

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Spread oats, oat flour, coconut, and nuts on the sheet. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes, until just becoming toasted (I sprayed the top of mine with some olive oil cooking spray as well). Remove from the oven and immediately place in a large mixing bowl.

Add remaining ingredients to oatmeal mixture. Stir until well combined. Set aside. Line a 9×12 glass baking dish with foil. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Press the granola mixture into the pan. Bake for 13-18 minutes at 350 degrees, cutting into bars halfway through (A steel scraper/chopper like this guy works great!). If you want them softer, less crunchy, stick with the 13-15 minute range. Dig a crunchier granola bar, shoot for 15-18 minutes.

Once bars are done baking, cut on the lines once more. Allow to cool completely in the pan. Remove by lifting the foil. Break bars apart and store in an airtight container.

Looking for other great breakfast baked goods? Check out my baking page by clicking the button below!

Baking

Homemade Baked Granola Bars

Why eat packaged granola bars when you can make your own homemade baked granola bars! Create your own with items from your pantry!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings bars

Ingredients

1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup oat flour store bought or just processed in your food processor
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup chopped nuts
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup honey
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup chocolate chips
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon chia seeds

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
Spread oats, oat flour, coconut, and nuts on the sheet. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes, until just becoming toasted.
Remove from the oven and immediately place in a large mixing bowl.
Add remaining ingredients to oatmeal mixture. Stir until well combined.
Set aside. Line a 9×12 glass baking dish with foil. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Press the granola mixture into the pan. Bake for 13-18 minutes at 350 degrees, cutting into bars halfway through.
For a softer granola bar, bake for 13-15 minutes. For a crunchier granola bar, bake 15-18 minutes.
Once bars are done baking, cut on the lines once more.
Allow to cool completely in the pan. Remove by lifting the foil. Break bars apart and store in an airtight container.

Keyword granola, granola bar, oatmeal, snacks

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

June 24, 2021May 29, 2022

JessLeave a comment

Banana Oat Muffins

Last Updated on April 17, 2024 by Jess

I have an eleven year old boy this summer. If you have ever had an eleven year old, you know this means he’s eating CONSTANTLY. We try to encourage healthy foods for his forever snacking, and generally begin our sentences with “have a banana or a string cheese.” Then he eats three of them. What’s a mom to do? This also means we buy bananas in bulk. Most of the time we are making second trips to the grocery store for more. But sometimes we end up with some overly ripe ones. When that happens, I make banana bread, banana ice cream, or banana oat muffins.

This banana oat muffin recipe is everything you would hope for. They are beautifully dense. Perfectly sweet using maple syrup for the sweetener. They have texture and the right amount of chocolate chips to make anyone happy. And friends, it’s gluten free to boot. It’s full of good for you ingredients and only two tablespoons of oil. How can you go wrong, right?

These muffins will pair great with your coffee in the morning, as a mid morning snack to get you to lunch time or for a guilt free dessert (although I totally believe in not feeling bad about dessert, but that’s another story for another time). I’m excited for you to give them a try and share them with your littles or your bigs or better yet, keep them to yourself. (You did hear I have an eleven year old right? I have to start hiding my favorite foods and treats from him!)

Let’s get baking some banana oat muffins

YOUR INGREDIENTS FOR THE BANANA Oat Muffins

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 very ripe bananas, mashed (My go to tool for this? A pastry cutter. It works great AND young kids can easily get involved and do this step for you)
2 eggs
1/4 cup real maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1/4 mini chocolate chips

Your Steps to the banana Oat Muffins

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 12 muffin tin with non stick cooking spray. Then measure out and combine:

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pulse these three ingredients in a food processor until they are a coarse flour texture.

In an additional bowl, combine:

3 very ripe bananas, mashed (My go to tool for this? A pastry cutter. It works great AND young kids can easily get involved and do this step for you)
2 eggs
1/4 cup real maple syrup

Once mixed, stir in the oat mixture until just combined. Finally, fold in the melted coconut oil and 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips. Fill each muffin using a 1/4 cup measuring cup. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until cooked through.

I love that I can enjoy a good breakfast bread that is filling and the perfect amount of sweetness without overdoing it on the added sugar. It is also a perfect mid morning snack to get you to lunch! Give it a try!

A few Notes…

I always thought that a small, 2 cup food processor was good enough. It’s what my mom used growing up, and if it was good enough for her, it was good enough for me. However, a few holidays ago, I asked for a 7 cup Kitchen Aid Mixer. It’s AMAZING and I can’t tell you how often I use it. Highly recommend the investment. It’s great for chopping veggies for salsa, making oat flour, or even mixing banana ice cream. Click the image below to check out a similar model!

Banana Oat Muffins

Simple wholesome ingredients come together with a food processor to make these gluten free and perfectly sweet banana oat muffins

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 1

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings muffins

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas very ripe
2 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare a muffin tin by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine oats, salt, and baking soda in a food processor. Pulse until a coarse flour texture is obtained.
In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add honey and eggs. Mix well.
Stir oat mixture into mashed bananas. Add chocolate chips and coconut oil. Mix until just combined.
Place about 1/4 cup batter in each cup. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until cooked through

Keyword Banana Bread, Breakfast, Gluten Free

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other Tasty treats?

Check out my baking page or maybe my breakfast page. Or perhaps you want to check out one of my favorites below?

June 14, 2021April 17, 2024

JessLeave a comment

Easy Breakfast Tortilla Bake

Last Updated on June 4, 2021 by Jess

I believe so many great recipes get created out of necessity or the cleaning of the fridge. A cook looks through the pantry, sees the ingredients they have on hand and simply create. Or perhaps they have a recipe in mind, but forgot to pick up an item or two so they create on the fly. This breakfast tortilla bake is a product of both of these. I couldn’t believe just how good it turned out!

Most breakfast bakes make huge cake pans worth of food. Too much for most families unless you are cooking for a huge crowd. The recipes I have also often start with crescent rolls. I don’t mind them, but sometimes I struggle with getting it cooked all the way through. The crescent rolls can also make the bake a little heavy. The tortillas in this bake help lighten it up a little.

We are a family of four and this was perfect for us with guests of another family four. It cooked up quick, had just a few dirty dishes, and everyone cleaned their plates. Hey, and notice that I snuck a few vegetables in too (you wouldn’t expect anything less from me, would you?!). Let’s get cooking!

Your Ingredients for a Breakfast Tortilla Bake

4 round flour tortillas (10 inches)
1 pound ground breakfast sausage
1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
½ cup diced onion
1 cup diced sweet peppers (any color)
½ cup diced button mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon pepper
3 cups frozen shredded hash browns
8 eggs
¼ cup milk
¼ teaspoon each of: pepper, salt, onion powder, paprika
1 ½ cups shredded cheese
3 green onions, thinly sliced

Your Steps to Breakfast Tortilla Bake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a shallow 2 ½ quart casserole dish with 2 of the flour tortillas. Add ½ tablespoon olive oil to a deep saute pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add breakfast sausage. Break apart and brown until just cooked. Remove from the pan, but leave the oil.

Add diced peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until softened, about 6 minutes. While the peppers are cooking, thaw the hash browns in the microwave on the defrost setting. Add hashbrowns to softened peppers and onions. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until they are cooked through and hot, but not browned.

Remove peppers and hash browns from the pan. If enough oil remains, great. If not, add ½-1 more tablespoons of oil to grease the pan for the eggs. Whisk eggs, milk and pepper, salt, onion powder, and paprika. Add to a hot pan and scramble the eggs. Cook until JUST cooked through. Leave them with more moisture than not. Remove from the pan.

Layer sausage, hash browns and peppers, and eggs in the casserole dish. Add ½-¾ cup cheese. Top with remaining tortillas. Layer sausage, hash browns and peppers, and eggs once more. Top with remaining cheese and sliced green onions.

Bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve it up!

Looking for some other breakfast inspiration? Check out my cooking or baking page by clicking the buttons below:

Cooking

Baking

Easy Breakfast Tortilla Bake

Breakfast sausage, hash browns, eggs, and tortillas form the base of this simple breakfast bake perfect for a few weekend guests or a large family!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 35

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings people

Ingredients

4 round flour tortillas 10 inches
1 pound ground breakfast sausage
1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced sweet peppers any color
½ cup diced onion
½ cup diced button mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon pepper
3 cups frozen shredded hash browns
8 eggs
¼ cup milk
¼ teaspoon each of: pepper salt, onion powder, paprika
1 ½ cups shredded cheese
3 green onions thinly sliced

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a shallow 2 ½ quart casserole dish with 2 of the flour tortillas.
Add ½ tablespoon olive oil to a deep saute pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add breakfast sausage. Break apart and brown until just cooked. Remove from the pan, but leave the oil.
Add diced peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until softened, about 6 minutes.
While the peppers are cooking, thaw the hash browns in the microwave on the defrost setting. Add hash browns to softened peppers and onions. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until they are cooked through and hot, but not browned.
Remove peppers and hash browns from the pan. If enough oil remains, great. If not, add ½-1 more tablespoons of oil to grease the pan for the eggs. Whisk eggs, milk and pepper, salt, onion powder, and paprika. Add to the hot pan and scramble the eggs. Cook until JUST cooked through. Leave them with more moisture than not. Remove from the pan.
Layer sausage, hash browns and peppers, and eggs in the casserole dish. Add ½-¾ cup cheese. Top with remaining tortillas. Layer sausage, hash browns and peppers, and eggs once more. Top with remaining cheese and sliced green onions.
Bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes, until cheese is melted.