Kids Chewy Granola Bars with Cranberries and Walnuts
By America's Test Kitchen KidsPublished on January 4, 2023
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours cooling time
Yield
Makes 12 bars
What Kids Are Saying
“This would be a great snack to have when I get home from school!" —Victoria, recipe tester, age 13
Ingredients
Vegetable oil spray ¾ cup (3 ounces) walnuts 1¼ cups (3¾ ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats ½ cup raw sunflower seeds ¼ cup vegetable oil 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) water ½ cup dried apricots ½ cup packed (3½ ounces) brown sugar ¼ teaspoon table salt ¾ cup (¾ ounce) Rice Krispies cereal ½ cup dried cranberries
Before You Begin
Don’t use quick, instant, or extra-thick rolled oats in this recipe.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make aluminum foil sling for 8-inch square metal baking pan following photos, “Step-by-Step: How to Make an Aluminum Foil Sling,” below. Spray foil with vegetable oil spray.
- Add walnuts to food processor and lock lid into place. Hold down pulse button for 1 second, then release. Repeat until walnuts are finely chopped, about ten 1-second pulses.
- Remove lid and carefully remove processor blade (ask an adult for help). Use rubber spatula to transfer walnuts to rimmed baking sheet. Add oats and sunflower seeds to baking sheet and use rubber spatula to spread into even layer.
- Place baking sheet in oven and bake until oats are lightly browned, about 12 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove baking sheet from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let cool for 10 minutes. While oat mixture is cooling, reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
- Combine oil and water in liquid measuring cup. Add apricots, brown sugar, and salt to food processor and lock lid back into place. Turn on processor and process until apricots are very finely ground, about 15 seconds.
- With processor running, pour oil mixture through feed tube and process until paste forms, about 1 minute. Stop processor.
- Remove lid and carefully remove processor blade (ask an adult for help). Use rubber spatula to transfer apricot paste to large bowl. Add cooled oat mixture and use rubber spatula to stir until oats are well coated with apricot paste. Add cereal and cranberries and gently stir until evenly combined.
- Use rubber spatula to scrape mixture into foil-lined baking pan and spread into even layer. Use bottom of dry measuring cup to press down VERY firmly (especially at edges and corners) until smooth and flat.
- Place baking pan in oven and bake until granola is brown at edges, about 25 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove baking pan from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let granola bars cool completely in pan, about 2 hours.
- Use foil to lift bars out of baking pan and transfer to cutting board. Cut into bars and serve.
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours cooling timeYield
Makes 12 barsWhat Kids Are Saying
“This would be a great snack to have when I get home from school!" —Victoria, recipe tester, age 13Ingredients
Vegetable oil spray
¾ cup (3 ounces) walnuts
1¼ cups (3¾ ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup raw sunflower seeds
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) water
½ cup dried apricots
½ cup packed (3½ ounces) brown sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
¾ cup (¾ ounce) Rice Krispies cereal
½ cup dried cranberries
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Vegetable oil spray
¾ cup (3 ounces) walnuts
1¼ cups (3¾ ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup raw sunflower seeds
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) water
½ cup dried apricots
½ cup packed (3½ ounces) brown sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
¾ cup (¾ ounce) Rice Krispies cereal
½ cup dried cranberries
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Vegetable oil spray
¾ cup (3 ounces) walnuts
1¼ cups (3¾ ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup raw sunflower seeds
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) water
½ cup dried apricots
½ cup packed (3½ ounces) brown sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
¾ cup (¾ ounce) Rice Krispies cereal
½ cup dried cranberries
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
The most fun part of making these chewy granola bars studded with oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit? Pressing the mixture into the pan with the bottom of a dry measuring cup. It’s key to really pack the oat mixture to form cohesive bars that won’t crumble when you hold or bite into them. Before kids start cutting their baking pan full of granola into 12 individual bars, have them plan out how they’ll create evenly-sized rectangles (they could even sketch it out on paper first). We recommend cutting in half horizontally and then in half vertically (like a plus sign) to make four smaller squares. Then, cut each of those squares into thirds to create individual rectangular bars.
Before You Begin
Don’t use quick, instant, or extra-thick rolled oats in this recipe.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make aluminum foil sling for 8-inch square metal baking pan following photos, “Step-by-Step: How to Make an Aluminum Foil Sling,” below. Spray foil with vegetable oil spray.
- Add walnuts to food processor and lock lid into place. Hold down pulse button for 1 second, then release. Repeat until walnuts are finely chopped, about ten 1-second pulses.
- Remove lid and carefully remove processor blade (ask an adult for help). Use rubber spatula to transfer walnuts to rimmed baking sheet. Add oats and sunflower seeds to baking sheet and use rubber spatula to spread into even layer.
- Place baking sheet in oven and bake until oats are lightly browned, about 12 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove baking sheet from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let cool for 10 minutes. While oat mixture is cooling, reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
- Combine oil and water in liquid measuring cup. Add apricots, brown sugar, and salt to food processor and lock lid back into place. Turn on processor and process until apricots are very finely ground, about 15 seconds.
- With processor running, pour oil mixture through feed tube and process until paste forms, about 1 minute. Stop processor.
- Remove lid and carefully remove processor blade (ask an adult for help). Use rubber spatula to transfer apricot paste to large bowl. Add cooled oat mixture and use rubber spatula to stir until oats are well coated with apricot paste. Add cereal and cranberries and gently stir until evenly combined.
- Use rubber spatula to scrape mixture into foil-lined baking pan and spread into even layer. Use bottom of dry measuring cup to press down VERY firmly (especially at edges and corners) until smooth and flat.
- Place baking pan in oven and bake until granola is brown at edges, about 25 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove baking pan from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let granola bars cool completely in pan, about 2 hours.
- Use foil to lift bars out of baking pan and transfer to cutting board. Cut into bars and serve.
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