No-Bake Homemade Chocolate Dipped Fruit Granola Bars

Enjoying today with these healthyish, soft, and chewy Homemade Chocolate Dipped Fruit Granola Bars! Made with three kinds of nuts (walnut, almonds, pecans, and sunflower seeds), oats, your favorite dried fruits, and a sweet honey syrup to bind everything together. Then after the bars have cooled and set, they are then dipped, dunked, and drizzled generously with just enough dark chocolate to make these bars irresistible. There’s really nothing not to love about these beautiful and just perfectly sweet granola bars. Oh, and the best part? These bars are completely no bake! That’s right. There is no baking required to make these delicious treats. But, what makes them so darn good? Plenty of honey and one special ingredient. There is something between the perfect combination of fruit, nuts, chocolate, and honey syrup…every bite makes you want to have more! These easy no bake granola bars are best enjoyed with your favorite mug of coffee, as a grab-and-go snack, or a good mid-day energy boost!

About The Recipe

Just because it’s healthy January, doesn’t mean we can’t have something a little sweet! Oh, and these granola bars actually not that bad for you. They’re so much better than store-bought in a variety of ways! No more preservatives, you get to choose the flavors, and it has lots of chocolate on top.

Not to mention these bars are actually a great breakfast, snack, or even as a healthier dessert option if you so choose. Trust me, I should know! Me and my mom have been making these homemade granola bars for years.

They are something you always want to have on hand because you never know when you’re gonna want a quick snack or a little burst of energy!

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Loaded with walnuts, almonds, pecans, and sunflower seeds, these bars are not only great in flavor – but perfect for your every snacking need. We also use a combination of dried fruit. Apricots, raisins, and cranberries. Sweet, tart, and oh so delicious.

But, if you aren’t a fan of one or multiple fruits, then there’s no worries! Change it out for your favorite dried fruit for the homemade granola bar of your dreams.

It’s just this combination just so happens to be our favorite.

And, it took a lot of years to find our favorite combo. We used to use everything from pineapple to cherries. Which, taste just as good, but there’s something about this mix specifically that is irresistible.

My mom came up with apricots to cut the sweetness from the actual granola bar itself. We both then decided that, out of necessity more than anything, we’d throw in some cranberries and raisins.

One bite and we were in love!

But, it wasn’t one simple attempt and these bars were perfect. It took years of fine tuning and then three different times to get the recipe truly right for the blog! We tried a few experiments, wondering if we could improve it, and… while we found some great variations, the original recipe still outshone the rest.

The true secret is the coconut oil. Yes, honey, too, but that coconut oil is what brings out all those amazing flavors.

Since the coconut in this recipe is unsweetened, using the coconut oil in the honey syrup brings out a rich and nutty flavor from the actual granola mix itself.

Seriously, it is SO good! If you are looking for a granola bar recipe that will have everyone (including yourself) coming back for more, then this is it! It’s truly perfect for back to school, holiday gifting, or just as a Monday snack.

Equipment Needed

• 8 Inch Stainless Steel Mold
• Parchment Paper
• Cooking Spray
• 2 Quart Pot
• Candy Thermometer
• Mixing Bowls
• Rubber Spatula

Ingredients

For The Bars:

• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Dry Roasted Sunflower Seeds
• Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
• Old Fashioned Oats
• Wheat Germ
• Salt
• Dried Mixed Fruits
• Sugar
• Water
• Corn Syrup
• Honey
• Coconut Oil

For The Chocolate Topping:

• Chocolate
• Coconut Oil

Instructions

First things first, get the mold ready! Set the mold on a piece of parchment and grease the whole thing with cooking spray. This will keep the granola and the chocolate from sticking. If you don’t have a mold, line a 8 inch pan with parchment and grease just the same. Once this is done, set it aside.

In a large bowl, combine all the nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, and sunflower seeds), coconut flakes, oats, wheat germ, salt, and dried fruit. Set aside.

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In a 2 quart pot, combine the sugar, wanter, corn syrup, honey, and coconut oil. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and cook until the thermometer reaches 240 degrees.

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While working quickly, pour the syrup into the nut mixture and stir together with a rubber spatula until everything is completely coated. Transfer the mixture into the greased mold and press down with the spatula until it’s level. Set aside until cool.

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Once the granola is cooled and set, combine chocolate and coconut oil in a medium sized glass bowl. Place in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between each, until the chocolate is completely melted.

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Pour the chocolate mixture over the granola and let set. If you’d like, melt a little extra chocolate and drizzle over the top once the first layer is set for something a little more decorative.

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Take out of the mold carefully and cut into 12 bars.

What Kind of Chocolate To Use

We are big fans of dark chocolate in this house. It cuts the sweetness of the bar while still being just sweet enough. To us, it’s a match made in heaven! But, if you aren’t a fan of ultra dark chocolate, use a semi-sweet! It’s still not as sweet as a milk chocolate due to the higher cocoa content, but it is still sweeter than a bittersweet (which is what we used).

If you still aren’t convinced, go ahead and use a milk chocolate! Just remember that it can get very sweet, very quickly.

Tips For Making The Syrup

• Make sure your pot is clean with no dust or crumbs.
• Stir the mixture to allow the coconut oil to melt entirely. Once it’s melted, Don’t stir!
• Use a candy thermometer, if you have one. It’s the best way to get an accurate read without getting yourself hurt. If you don’t have one, you can use an instant read thermometer and check it periodically. Just be careful!
• The syrup needs to be at 240. Anything less will result in a bar that’s too soft and just falls apart.
• Once the syrup is at temperature, work quickly! It will start to cool immediately and you don’t want it to set while you’re trying to work it into the granola mixture.

The Best Dried Fruits To Use

We absolutely adore the combo of apricots, raisins, and cranberries in these bars, but if you aren’t a fan or just don’t have any, here are a few other fruits you can use instead!

• Cherries
• Golden Raisins
• Pineapple
• Dates
• Prunes
• Blueberries

You could also use your favorite store-bought dried fruit mix!

4 Fun Ways To Change Up These Granola Bars

If you want to make these bars just a little different than the traditional granola bar, here are a few fun ideas that we love!

• Cut the granola into small, bite sized squares for a delicious bite!
• Dip the entire bar in chocolate rather than just topping it. You could do this with the small bites as well.
• You could also coat half the bar in chocolate one kind of chocolate and the other in another kind of chocolate.
• Top the chocolate coated bar with your favorite chopped up nut or shredded coconut.

How To Store

You can keep these granola bars in an airtight container or in a sealable bag for about 1-2 weeks. To keep these longer, you could also store them in the freezer!

Substitutions

• If you don’t have wheat germ, flax seeds are a suitable substitute.
• You can use any fruit mix you like.
• Almost any kind of nuts can also be used instead.
• Butter can be used in place of the coconut oil, but it will be a bit greasier and it won’t taste nearly as good.

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Expert Tips

• If you don’t have a baking mold, you can use an 8-inch square pan. Just make sure to line it with parchment and grease it!
• Make sure the sunflower seeds are not salted.
• The almonds, walnuts, and pecans in this recipe are not roasted.
• Do not use instant oatmeal.
• You may need to set the chocolate coated granola in the freezer for 5 minutes to ensure the chocolate sets. Do not leave it in there longer!

When you make these No-Bake Homemade Chocolate Dipped Fruit Granola Bars, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.