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    Home » Desserts » Homemade M&M Granola Bars

    Homemade M&M Granola Bars

    Published: Oct 19, 2017 · Modified: Oct 19, 2017 by Kate · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Homemade M&M Granola Bars

    Granola bars are a staple at our house.

    Homemade M&M Granola Bar RecipeI keep a stash of granola bars on hand for lunches and quick snacks, and we go through about a box every week.

    Homemade M&M Granola Bars

    Since we go through so many granola bars, I've tried quite a few granola bar recipes, and these homemade m&m granola bars are my favorite.

    The bars are sweet but not overwhelmingly so. Toasting the oats brings out their nutty flavor, and it helps improve the texture of the bars. They also hold together well (just be sure to firmly press the oat mixture into the pan), and, most importantly, they taste really good.

    Homemade M&M Granola Bar Recipe

    Homemade M&M Granola Bars

    Homemade M&M Granola Bars
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 10 bars
    Calories: 329kcal
    Author: Kate @ I Heart Eating

    Ingredients

    • 2 ½ cups rolled oats
    • ½ cup peanuts roughly chopped*
    • ¼ cup honey
    • ¼ cup butter
    • â…“ cup brown sugar
    • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ cup mini chocolate chips divided
    • ¼ cup M&M baking pieces

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment or foil. Lightly grease with nonstick cooking spray.
    • Place the oats on a rimmed baking sheet.
    • Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly toasted.
    • Place the nuts and oats in a large bowl.
    • While the oats are toasting, add the honey, butter, and brown sugar to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.
    • Remove from the heat, and stir in peanut butter, vanilla, and salt.
    • Pour peanut butter mixture over the oat/nut mixture; stir to combine. Make sure that all of the oats are coated in the peanut butter mixture.
    • Let mixture cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
    • Stir in half mini chocolate chips.
    • Pour oat mixture in the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula to firmly press the mixture into the pan.
    • Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips and M&Ms over the top of the bars, and gently press into oat mixture.
    • Chill the granola bars for at least 2 hours.
    • Lift the bars from the pan, and cut into bars.
    • I store the bars in the fridge.

    Notes

    *You can use either salted or unsalted depending on how salty/sweet you'd like your granola bars to be.
    **Nutrition values are estimates. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1bar | Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 137mg | Potassium: 234mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 155IU | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe? Rate it below. Mention @i_heart_eating on Instagram & tag #ihearteating!

    Slightly adapted from Bless This Mess.

    « Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake
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    About Kate

    Kate got her first cookbook when she was five years old, and she hasn't stopped cooking since then! Her delicious recipes have been featured on Food Network, MSN, Better Homes & Gardens, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, and more. When she's not cooking or baking, she can be found on her mini farm with her husband and her five kids.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. lindsay

      September 03, 2020 at 12:03 pm

      Can i leave the peanuts out and increase oats? I want to make these today and have everything, except the peanuts.

      Reply
      • Kate

        September 03, 2020 at 12:32 pm

        Hi! I would omit the peanuts but wouldn't increase the oats. More oats will absorb more of the honey mixture, which could give you a crumblier granola bar.

        Reply
    2. Kristen

      August 21, 2020 at 12:53 pm

      Hi! I made these today and the taste is great! But when I cut they crumbled... any advice?

      Reply
      • Kate

        August 22, 2020 at 8:48 am

        Hi! There are a couple things you could try. In step 10, if using a rubber spatula isn't getting the bars firmly enough into the pan, you can use your hands and really press them in there. That should help them to hold together better. The other thing that you could try is adding the honey in step 6 so that it doesn't cook down. I hope that helps!

        Reply
    3. Mehrgol K

      April 30, 2020 at 3:36 pm

      Hi. I’m really excited to try this recipe but I’m a little confused about one part of the recipe. What’s the point of lightly greasing the square baking pan if this is not going into the oven ? I just want to confirm that besides baking the oats, there is no other baking instruction that may have been ledt out

      Reply
      • Kate

        May 01, 2020 at 9:47 am

        Hi! Lightly greasing the pan is simply to help with removing the granola bars. The bars are a little sticky, and greasing the pan helps to get them out. You could also line with pan with parchment paper if you prefer.

        Reply
    4. Jen

      January 21, 2020 at 10:33 am

      5 stars
      How many bars do you get out of the recipe per the nutrition facts??

      These are amazing! I will never buy granola bars again!

      Reply
      • Kate

        January 21, 2020 at 10:36 am

        Thank you so much! =) The nutrition is for 1 bar with a yield of 10 bars in the recipe.

        Reply
    5. Chelsey

      December 05, 2018 at 4:56 pm

      5 stars
      Best granola bars! My kids helped make them and they've asked me to make them for from now one.

      Reply
      • Kate

        December 05, 2018 at 9:04 pm

        Thank you! I'm glad that your kids liked them. =) Thank you for commenting!

        Reply

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    I’m Kate Dean- mom to five young kids, recipe developer, and photographer. Here at I Heart Eating®, I share my family’s favorite tried-and-true recipes.

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