Coconut Granola Bars

Name: Coconut Granola Bars
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 20 pieces
Ingredients: 1/4 cup canola oil, plus additional for the pan and for your hands; 7 ounces (2 cups) rolled oats; 1 1/2 ounces (1 heaped cup) flaked coconut; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional); 1/2 cup mild honey, like clover or agave nectar; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 4 ounces (1 cup) lightly toasted nuts, like almonds and pecans, coarsely chopped

By Martha Rose Shulman

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 5(441)
Notes: Read community notes

These are crunchy and a little bit sticky. If you are vegan you can substitute agave syrup for the honey.

Featured in: Substantial Pastries for Busy Teenagers

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Ingredients

Yield:20 pieces

¼cup canola oil, plus additional for the pan and for your hands
7ounces (2 cups) rolled oats
1½ounces (1 heaped cup) flaked coconut
½teaspoon cinnamon
¼teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼teaspoon salt (optional)
½cup mild honey, like clover or agave nectar
1teaspoon vanilla
4ounces (1 cup) lightly toasted nuts, like almonds and pecans, coarsely chopped

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the oats in a bowl and toss with the oil until thoroughly coated. Line a baking sheet or pan with parchment and spread the oats in an even layer on the parchment. Place in the oven and toast for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the grains are lightly toasted. They should have darkened slightly and should smell toasty. Remove from the oven, return to the bowl, and add the coconut, spices, salt and nuts. Stir together. Turn the oven down to 300 degrees.
Step 2
Place the honey and vanilla in a saucepan or container that can accommodate at least three times the volume of the honey, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour over the oat mixture. Stir until the oat mixture is evenly coated with honey.
Step 3
Oil a 9-by-13-by-2-inch pan and line with parchment. Oil the parchment. Scrape the granola mixture into the pan and spread in an even layer. Place in the oven for 25 minutes, until just golden. Do not allow to become too brown, or the bars will be too hard. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely, then cut into 2-inch squares. Some of the mixture may crumble when you do this, but crumbles are tasty little morsels! Store in a tin or container.

Tip

Advance preparation: These will keep for a week but will become more sticky, especially in a humid environment.

Ratings

5 out of 5

441 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Justine6 years ago

Let the pan sit for a good 6 hours before cutting; they will hold together much better.

Peter6 years ago

How about coconut oil instead of canola? I really like coconut.

Sofia1 year ago

Measurements in Grams. 53gr Canola oil 200gr Rolled oats 42gr Flaked Coconut 170gr Honey 115gr Toasted nuts 2,8gr Cinnamon 1,4gr Salt 1,4gr Grated nuteg

Heidi6 years ago

This may be the most scrumptious granola recipe ever! That said, I did have a huge problem getting the bars out of the pan. The mixture is very sticky and the bottom layer of oats fused with the wax paper, crumbling into chunks when I tried to remove from pan. I will definitely try making again using a Silpat silicone liner on the pan instead of wax paper.

Kristina6 years ago

Great results, I baked this for a crowd and got enthusiastic reponses. I tasted the brown rice syrup, but hated the taste. Instead I got Lyle's Golden Syrup (available at stores that have British goods). I found the Golden syrup taste is less overtly sweet and has a buttery flavor which worked well with this recipe.

Erin Donovan6 years ago

Yum! I added chopped dried cherries, hemp seeds, apricots and chocolate chips. Chips melted throughout mixture and it worked perfectly. These will be a great little energy boost for school lunches.

Daisy6 years ago

Used coconut oil instead and added dried cranberries, chopped peanuts, and butter to my honey & vanilla....delish!

DG8 months ago

A ! This is the tastiest granola recipe I've found on NYT and everyone in my family loves it. I toast the nuts on a sheet pan on parchment paper for 5 min as the oven is preheating, I use unsalted mixed nuts & add pepitas and sometimes sesame seeds. For sweetener I prefer Agave to honey for its neutral flavor. It's important to oil the parchment to ensure release & cut the finished granola when it's just cooled, before it hardens up too much.

lessismore781 year ago

I used raw sliced almonds, dried cherries, and semi sweet chocolate chips and they were so delicious even my toughest critics, a 9 year old and 5 year old, loved them! The Silpat worked well for me in place of parchment paper.

cko1 year ago

This recipe is the closest to a crunchy store bought granola bar as I have ever made. I was skimpy on the honey (ran out) and subbed a bit of granulated sugar to make up for the rest, and it worked beautifully. Crunchy bars, perfect for taking to work or snacking on a trip.

Cassidy4 days ago

Omitted canola for coconut oil & used 1/2 C almonds 1/2 C goji berries. I also used dried nutmeg and dried orange peel with double the amount of cinnamon. They turned out great! I agree to let the pan sit after baking for at least 2 hours.

Mel1 month ago

I subbed date syrup for the honey to keep this vegan. I mixed a variety of nuts and added a sprinkle of ground flaxseed and chia seeds for bonus omegas. A delightful recipe that is easily adapted based on what is in your cupboard.

Jon2 months ago

I love this. Know what it reminds me of? Healthy baklava. I made 1 1/2 recipes in a 7x10 glass baking dish. Greased the parchment well with shortening, great results. Had a square every night ‘till it was gone. Delicious.

debbyk6 months ago

I’ve made these twice - they’re delicious. Most recently I made them with agave, and added chocolate chips after letting the oat mixture cool down a bit. After removing them from the oven I let them cool at room temperature for an hour or so and I had no problem cutting them in to neat bars. Store them in the fridge separated on layers of parchment paper or they will stick together.

Anthony6 months ago

Delicious, added dried blueberries and figs came out perfect!

DG8 months ago

Juliesmiles8 months ago

Good flavor but a hassle to cut. Wonder what adding butter to honey does?

Catherine1 year ago

At long last, a granola bar recipe that actually delivers! These turned out perfectly and I only had very minimal crumbling when I cut them into bars. The only change I made was to use the equivalent amount of seeds instead of nuts, as nuts aren't allowed in child's classroom. Perfect, and definitely a keeper.

cko1 year ago

lessismore781 year ago

Nat1 year ago

These are very good! Used roasted salted pistachios and pumpkin seeds. Agave. They can crumble, but really so great.

Sofia1 year ago

Measurements in Grams. 53gr Canola oil 200gr Rolled oats 42gr Flaked Coconut 170gr Honey 115gr Toasted nuts 2,8gr Cinnamon 1,4gr Salt 1,4gr Grated nuteg

Missik2 years ago

Tastes like not as sweet granola I make -

cali cook2 years ago

I subbed in coconut oil and added a few tbsp flax for a health boost. Also didn’t have parchment paper so greased the baking dish extra. When they came out of the oven they seemed super crumbly, but they firmed up in a few hours and held together for the most part when I cut them into pieces. Delicious! Excited to experiment by adding peanut butter, almond extract, dried fruit, etc.

Mount Baker Lady2 years ago

Oats take more like 25 minutes to brown in the beginning. Additions I've liked: roasted peanuts, tumeric, cardamon, fresh ginger, chocolate chips,

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