This homemade granola bars recipe can be customized for your child’s favorite flavors! It’s the perfect back to school recipe to make sure their lunches keep them full and are delicious!
This post is sponsored by Welch’s® Fruit Snacks. I am being compensated for this post. All comments and opinions are my own.
Raise your hand if you have kids like mine who all reach for different flavors of food! My son is definitely my salty, savory with just a slight hint of sweet kid. My daughter is more me, aka bring on some of that natural sweetness and let it shine!
Since Welch’s Fruit Snacks have fruit as the first ingredient, it’s pretty much a given that the sweet fruit flavor will take center stage in these delicious snacks! And they make the perfect mix-in ingredient for my homemade granola bars.
The key to not losing your mind when your kids have different taste preferences is to find basic recipes that can be adapted to each of them. That’s why I love recipes like these homemade granola bars!
You can whip up a batch of these and then separate it in half to add some different mix-ins for each kid.
Ideas for Homemade Granola Bar Mix-Ins:
- Welch’s Fruit Snacks: they have 10 different flavors but for this post, I used Mixed Fruit, Berries ‘n Cherries and Island Fruits
- Pretzels: we like to break ours into smaller pieces so they blend in better with the rest of the granola bars
- Chocolate Chips
- Coconut Flakes
- Sunflower Seeds
- Raw Nuts
- Raisins
It’s also fun to package them with a fun little note as they head back to school! It only takes about 2 extra minutes to quick print this out and attach it to your granola bar, but it’s worth it to picture them smiling while they read your note and eat your homemade snack!
To print your own Lunch Box Notes, CLICK HERE!
Want to make those kids extra happy during a long day of learning? Throw in an extra pack of delicious Welch’s Fruit Snacks! Mine often save this extra pack for their walk home because it’s the perfect on-the-go snack! Bonus points because they arrive home happy instead of hangry! It’s easy to keep these on hand since they’re found at all major US retailers! You can visit Welch’s Fruit Snacks for more information!
In fact, these are so easy to make and taste so delicious, that you’ll be eating them too! In addition to school lunches, they’re great to eat in the car on the way to an appointment or for a sports practice!
Homemade Granola Bars
This homemade granola bars recipe can be customized for your child’s favorite flavors! It’s the perfect back to school recipe to make sure their lunches keep them full and are delicious!
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 6 cups Quick Cooking Oats
- 1 cup Add-ins (Welch’s Fruit Snacks, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, raisins, nuts, mini marshmallows, etc.)
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In a small saucepan, add butter, honey and brown sugar. Stir over medium high heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 2 minutes.
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Add to a large bowl with oats and stir quickly and well to make sure everything is evenly coated. Pour into a greased 13×9 pan. Use your hand or the back of a wooden spoon to press firmly into the pan. The key to making granola bars that don’t crumble is to press very firmly into the pan so they’re packed in tightly.
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Then quickly add your toppings and press into the top of the granola bars. You want to add the toppings while it is still warm so that they stick well. Let the bars sit for about 2 hours before cutting.
