These homemade chewy chocolate chip sourdough granola bars are made with simple staple ingredients and make the perfect snack!
I’ve made it my mission over the years, and especially this year, to make more food from scratch. One of the best ways I’ve found to reduce the amount of pre-packaged foods we buy is to make snacks at home. Not only are homemade snacks better for you and filled with more wholesome ingredients, but making them at home also cuts down on the grocery bill tremendously. Pre-packaged snacks, like granola bars, can get pretty pricey, especially if you choose to buy better-for-you brands. When you make your own snacks, you get to control the ingredients! Whether you want to do all organic or not, these bars will still contain wholesome ingredients and be better for you.
What’s great about this sourdough granola bar recipe is it’s made with only a few ingredients, many of which you probably already have in your pantry, and there’s the added benefit of sourdough. Sourdough discard adds gut-healthy probiotics to recipes and can enhance flavors too. And as someone who enjoys making a lot of sourdough goodies, I love finding recipes that I can use up some of my discard in. So lets dive into this delicious sourdough discard granola bar recipe!
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FAQs
What is sourdough discard?
Sourdough discard is a portion of a sourdough starter that is removed to maintain the size of a starter. Unlike active sourdough starter that acts as a leavener, or an ingredient that helps dough rise, sourdough discard no longer has that capability, at least not at the same level. Discard is great for adding to various baked goods to add a level of acidity and enhance flavors.
How do you store sourdough discard granola bars?
I like to store these homemade granola bars either in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for a week or two.
Can you freeze sourdough granola bars?
These chewy sourdough granola bars freeze beautifully. Place them in an airtight container that’s freezer-safe and store them for up to 4 months. When you’re ready to thaw them, place them on the counter for a few hours, or overnight in the refrigerator and they’re ready to eat!
Optional Mix-Ins
- Dried fruit like cranberries or cherries
- Nuts
- Coconut shreds
- Chocolate chips
- Peanut butter chips
- Pumpkin seeds
- Flax seeds
Ingredients
Peanut butter: I try to use natural peanut butter when I can, but any peanut butter works in this recipe.
Maple syrup or honey: Real maple syrup is full of vitamins and minerals, is easier to digest than regular sugar and has a lower score on the glycemic index. It also adds a rich flavor to these granola bars that I love. You can swap the maple syrup with honey in this recipe, but the taste will change, not in a bad way though of course!
Coconut oil: Unrefined coconut oil has a light coconut scent and is so delicious in sweeter recipes.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is one of my favorite flavors to add to baked goods and has lots of health benefits too. Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory properties and so much more.
Salt: I like to use pink Himalayan salt to balance the sweetness in these granola bars, but any salt will do the trick.
Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract is a given for most baked goodies in my opinion.
Quick oats: I like quick oats because they are smaller and give the overall finished bar a smoother texture, but you can use any type of oats you prefer, like rolled oats.
Chocolate chips: Any kind of chocolate chips work best, including sugar free and mini chocolate chips. I prefer to use semi-sweet, but use your favorite, or swap out the chocolate chips for other mix-ins.
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How to Make Sourdough Granola Bars
TOOLS YOU MAY NEED
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Medium saucepan
- Whisk or mixing spoon
- 9 x 13 baking pan
- Parchment paper
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard
- 3 cups quick oats
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, plus more for topping
DIRECTIONS
In saucepan melt maple syrup, peanut butter, coconut oil and cinnamon and stir until homogenous.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes, then add vanilla extract and sourdough discard, and stir until just mixed.
Mix in the oats, salt and chocolate chips.
Spoon the batter into a 9″ x 13″ pan, then spread it into an even layer, then add extra chocolate chips on top (optional).
Bake the sourdough discard granola bars at 325 for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow the granola bars to cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing into squares or rectangles.
NOTES
- Swapping maple syrup with honey in this recipe will change the taste, but not in a bad way! The two sweeteners just have different flavor profiles.
- The peanut butter can also be swapped with any type of nut butter of your choosing.
- For crispier granola bars, bake for 17-19 minutes or until totally golden brown. I prefer to soft bake them for a more chewy texture, but they’re good either way.
- Sourdough granola bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.
Sourdough Granola Bars
These homemade chewy chocolate chip sourdough granola bars are made with simple staple ingredients and make the perfect snack!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard
- 3 cups quick oats
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- In saucepan melt maple syrup, peanut butter, coconut oil and cinnamon and stir until homogenous.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes, then add vanilla extract and sourdough discard, and stir until just mixed.
- Mix in the oats, salt and chocolate chips.
- Spoon the batter into a 9" x 13" pan, then spread it into an even layer, then add extra chocolate chips on top (optional).
- Bake the sourdough discard granola bars at 325 for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow the granola bars to cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing into squares or rectangles.
Notes
- Swapping maple syrup with honey in this recipe will change the taste, but not in a bad way! The two sweeteners just have different flavor profiles.
- The peanut butter can also be swapped with any type of nut butter of your choosing.
- For crispier granola bars, bake for 17-19 minutes or until totally golden brown. I prefer to soft bake them for a more chewy texture, but they're good either way.
- Sourdough granola bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR MORE SOURDOUGH RECIPES?
Looking for more sourdough discard recipes? Check these out!
- Baked Sourdough Discard Powdered Sugar Donuts
- Sourdough Discard Pancakes
- Sourdough Tortillas
- Everything Sourdough Discard Crackers
Did you make these sourdough granola bars? If you enjoyed it, I’d really appreciate if you came back and gave the recipe a five star rating! Tag me on Instagram (@thesimplehomeplace) to show me your own recreation of this recipe!
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