These granola bars are soft, and chewy with just the right amount of crunch! Their filled with chunks of dried mangoes and coconut, and drizzled with white chocolate.
About The Recipe
This recipe is just another flavor of my original homemade granola bars recipe. It’s a tropical twist to that recipe, tropical because it filled with dried/candied mango chunks, coconut, roasted almonds and white chocolate chips! p.s. that’s the only name I could think of.
Just like my other granola bar recipe, this recipe is also built on the same base recipe, which means it’s very adaptable, add any nuts or dried fruit you have on hand to create your very own granola bar, or follow this recipe for a tropical granola bar that’ll make you go coconuts over how delicious they are! 🙂
Many granola bar recipes require no baking at all, but I like to toast my oats slightly before combining it with the rest of the ingredients to give the granola bars a crunch! But you can skip that if you’re looking for a no bake recipe.
Let’s talk about how healthy these homemade granola bars are…., although they do contain some butter and sugar, it’s a very little amount that’s required for the granola bars to hold their shape, nevertheless it’s definitely way more nutritious and healthy than any store-bought version, with no artificial flavors or additives.
Oats: use old fashioned rolled oats, any quick or instant oats will not work for this recipe.
Honey: you can use any liquid sweetener like maple syrup or agave in place of the honey.
Brown sugar: use light brown sugar if you have it, but dark brown sugar will work as well.
Butter: I used unsalted butter to control the amount of salt in the granola bars.
Dried Mango: I used candied dried mango chunks which I cut into small cubes. You can find these in many spice shops or online as well.
Dried Coconut: I used dried coconut chunks, but you can also use shredded coconut.
White Chocolate Chips: this is totally optional, so leave it out if you’re trying to make this extra healthy. You could also use dark or milk chocolate chips in place of the white chocolate chips.
How To Make Tropical Granola Bars
Step 1: Bake your oats and roughly chopped almond in an oven preheated at 180 °C / 350 °F for 5 minutes. Take it out, five it a mix and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until the oats are nice and toasty. Then set it aside while we complete the next step.
Step 2: In a saucepan combine honey, butter, brown sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Melt on high heat while stirring. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sugar is fully dissolved. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down for a few minutes. This will prevent the chocolate chips from melting when added to the mixture.
Step 3: Pour the mixture on to the toasted oat and mix until combined.
Step 4: Add in the remaining ingredients and give everything a mix until fully incorporated. ( It is at this point you can add whatever you want into the granola.)
Step 5: Press the granola into a dish lined with baking paper using a spatula or your (clean) wet fingers. Make sure to really press it together, because this will ensure they do not fall apart when cut. The bigger dish you us ethe flatter your granola bars will be. ( I used an 8 x 8 square baking tray.)
Step 6: Once chilled, remove from the dish and cut into desired shape and drizzle on some melted white chocolate for beautiful tropical granola bars! And lastly, enjoy!
Storing The Tropical Granola Bars
Store the granola bars in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a week.
To freeze: place the granola bars in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 2 month, thaw completely at room temperature when you’re ready to enjoy them!
Pro Tips
- You can use any liquid sweetener in place of honey like, maple syrup or agave.
- Using already roasted almonds? No need to roast them with the oats at the beginning, just add them in later with the remaining ingredients.
- Make these ahead of time so you have your or your kid’s breakfast or snack sorted out for the week!
- Looking for a sugar free granola bar recipe, try this one. ( !this is not my recipe)
- Experiment with different types of nuts and dried fruit and see what you like the best, to make your ideal homemade granola bars.
FAQ’s
What are some other types of nuts I could use for this recipe?
Some great options are hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, peanut, and the options are endless!
Can I skip the butter in this recipe?
Unfortunately, no you can’t, because the butter an sugar mixture is what helps these granola bars to hold their. They harden once chilled which gives you the perfect granola bars that do not fall apart when you pick it up. You could however use margarin or any other fat like, coconut oil.
What can I substitute for honey?
Any liquid sweetener will work, like maple syrup or agave.
Can I make these without toasting the oats?
Definitely, but keep in mind that you granola bars will turn out a little soft rather than crunchy. I would highly recommend you toast your oats because when we add in the liquids the granola bars will get a little soft so it’s not going to turn out too hard and crunchy, they’ll have just the right amount of crunch
Recipe Card
Tropical Granola Bars
These granola bars are soft, and chewy with just the right amount of crunch! Their filled with chunks of dried mangoes and coconut, and drizzled with white chocolate.
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Total Time: 2 hours 20 min (includes chill time)
Course: Dessert/Snack
Servings: 10
Calories: 297kcal
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats (230g)
- 1/2 cup almonds (80g), roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (56g)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (50g)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup honey (113g)
- 1/3 cup dried/candied mangoes, chopped into small chunks
- 1/3 cup dried/shredded coconut
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
Optional Ingredients
- ~50g white chocolate, melted (for the top)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F. Spread the oats and chopped almonds on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for 5 minutes. take it out, give it a mix and bake for another 5-10 minutes until toasted. Let it cool down slightly then transfer into a big bowl.
- In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt and honey. Simmer on high flame while stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved (2-3 min). Remove from the heat and let it cool down for a few minutes.
- Pour the butter mixture all over the toasted oats and give everything a mix. Add in the dried mango chunks, dried coconut and white chocolate chips. Mix until fully combined.
- Press the mixture into a parchment lined 8 x 8 square tray using a spatula first, then wet your clean finger and press to make sure it’s nice and tight! Refrigerate for 2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes if you’re short on time.
- Cut into your desired shape and size and enjoy! (I like to drizzle on some melted chocolate as well!)
Nutrition
Calories: 296.91kcal
Total Fat: 14.64g
Carbs: 38.75g
Sugars: 20.72g
Protein: 5.5g
Sodium: 74.18mg
Fiber: 3.97g
** Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more. **
