• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Many Little Joys

  • Shop
  • Parenthood
  • Crafts & Activities
  • Food
  • About
  • Disclosure

No bake granola bites (our favorite snack food)

January 4, 2016 by Meg 9 Comments

I have two active, crazy little boys, and they are constantly hungry! We have a pretty set eating schedule at our house that involves three meals and two snacks per day, and while we’re not perfect at keeping to this, I try to maintain it because they eat better meals when they haven’t been munching goldfish crackers and pretzels all day. But, if I’m going to require them to wait to eat until our designated times, I feel like it’s important to make sure that their meals, and especially snacks, are filling enough to satisfy their hunger for at least 2 hours. Goldfish and fruit snacks just don’t cut it. So, what to feed them?

Enter…No Bake Granola Bites. I originally found this idea over at my favorite food blog: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (seriously, my husband knows her by name, and her blog is my go-to for yummy, from-scratch, family-friendly meals…I should really be her poster child or something). Anyway, since I found this recipe two years ago, I’ve made it over and over again, tweaking it along the way according to our tastes and what ingredients I’ve had on hand at the time. Both of my boys love them, and I may have been caught more than once sneaking an extra bite from the fridge, too. They’re great because they are full of healthy things, and they keep in the fridge (or freezer) for quite awhile. It’s a perfect snack for making a big batch, freezing extras, and then thawing smaller batches as needed.

IMG_0060 copy

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups quick oats
  • 1 cup crispy rice cereal (like Rice Krispies…I’ve also used 1/2  puffed wheat cereal before, too)
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (mini really do work better than regular, but I’ve used regular ones, too)
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • Optional: 2 tablespoons coconut oil (I finally tried this for the first time last week when I made these. Honestly, I didn’t notice a huge difference between using it or not)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, gently.
  2. Use a small cookie scoop to form balls (you have to smush them together a bit) and then line them up on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. They don’t have to be perfect balls. Mine are usually more like semi circles (just because that’s the shape of the scoop).
  3. Try not to handle them too much once they’re shaped or they may crumble.
  4. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. (*This step is super important! Once chilled, they hold together much better and are easier to handle and eat).
  5. Serve at will! (or store in the freezer or refrigerator. They will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week or for a few months in the freezer. I just keep mine in the fridge and pull them out for snacks as needed.)

These little beauties have been a great addition to our snack rotation. Hopefully you enjoy them, too!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

related posts:

Filed Under: Food, Uncategorized Tagged With: Recipes, Snacks

Previous Post: « Three lessons re-learned this Christmas
Next Post: Why I buy almost everything for my kids second-hand »

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Kid-sized Food: Banana Wheels - The Many Little Joys says:
    April 8, 2016 at 6:38 am

    […] mentioned before (when I shared THIS fave snack recipe) that I like to make sure that our snacks have some form of protein so it keeps my little guys full […]

    Reply
  2. White Chocolate Cranberry Granola Bites - The Many Little Joys says:
    April 18, 2016 at 12:39 pm

    […] up from a nap). To try to soften the blow (and prevent a breakdown), I suggested that we make granola bites, one of his other favorite snacks. To sweeten the deal, I said we could make a new kind of […]

    Reply
  3. 6 sneaky ways to get kids to eat healthy says:
    May 2, 2016 at 9:17 pm

    […] fiber) is flaxseed. Since then, I’ve experimented with putting it in all sorts of foods, like these yummy granola bites and these blueberry muffins. I’ve also often replaced 1/4 cup flour with 1/4 cup flaxseed […]

    Reply
  4. Healthy Coconut Cashew Granola - The Many Little Joys says:
    June 10, 2016 at 1:11 pm

    […] seed and chia seed because, well, I add it to almost anything I can. Like these muffins or these granola bites. It was great in the granola, […]

    Reply
  5. Toddler Trail Mix (perfect for moms on the go) - The Many Little Joys says:
    August 26, 2016 at 6:03 am

    […] (mostly) snacks that we can eat when we’re out and about. We still regularly eat these granola bites, but when I don’t have those on hand, our go-to snack is trail […]

    Reply
  6. Learning on the Run Vol. 1: Kids in the Kitchen - The Many Little Joys says:
    January 31, 2017 at 6:01 am

    […] No bake healthy granola bites (our favorite snack!) […]

    Reply
  7. Easy tips for reducing sugar in your family's diet - The Many Little Joys says:
    March 6, 2017 at 7:35 am

    […] without significantly altering the taste. Try it out. When I first found the recipe for my favorite granola bites, the recipe called for a full cup of mini chocolate chips. That seemed like a lot of added sugar […]

    Reply
  8. The 4 Phases of Breastfeeding + Milk Supply Meal Ideas - Because I Said So Baby says:
    October 27, 2017 at 1:19 pm

    […] No Bake Granola Bites from The Many Little Joys […]

    Reply
  9. Chocolate almond date balls...a delectably healthy snack - The Many Little Joys says:
    October 14, 2019 at 2:58 pm

    […] have been making granola bites for years, and my family loves them. They’re pretty healthy as is, but I wanted to see if I […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Let’s be friends…

Reader Favorites:

Best deals at Costco: 16 things I always buy (and a few to skip)
How to throw a Hot Wheels birthday party: A real mom's guide
Banana Sushi (a fun & healthy snack for kids)
How to throw a Lego birthday party: a real mom's guide
Superhero Muffins (AKA - Hidden veggie muffins)
Free Printable Alphabet Flashcards (upper and lowercase)

Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework