Would you believe me if I told you these bars are pretty frugal and also easy to make? I mean minimal fuss. It’s true!

Last school year, I got myself addicted to breakfast bars made with whole ingredients like nuts, dried fruits and honey. They’re so easy to grab and with simple ingredients, I could feel good about trading my egg, fruit and whole-grain toast for a quick bar. But the cost? Well, that’s a little more tricky. I spent quite a bit maintaining my little breakfast habit. But now that I am trying to cut back on grocery expenses, the first thing to be cut was my bars. The agony. It’s hard when you develop a habit like this to just cut yourself off, but a glance at the price tag does help (depending on the store, they range from $1.25-$2 each!).

So what now? Breakfast just isn’t as easy anymore. Unless, of course, you whip up some crazy easy granola bars. (What? Doesn’t everyone do this?)

Four ingredients go into this. Four! Heck, you might even have them all on hand to make a batch right now. Seriously. How can you say no to something so simple?

The process? You whip the egg whites, mix it all up with other ingredients, press it in a pan and then bake. So simple. The hardest part is the pressing, because you really have to work the mixture to cover the whole pan — but even that is like nothing.

And the result? Crispy homemade granola bars with a delicious whisper of cinnamon throughout. Perfect for a quick and easy breakfast!

What’s your favorite grab and go breakfast?

This recipe is adapted slightly from Prevention’s Quick and Healthy Low-Fat Cooking.

Easy Crispy Fruit and Nut Granola Bars

Yield: 24 servings

Ingredients

2 egg whites
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 cups fruit and nut granola

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick aluminum foil.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites to soft peaks.
In a small saucepan set over low heat, whisk together the honey and cinnamon until combined. With the stand mixer running on low, drizzle into the egg white mixture. Continue mixing until blended. Fold in the granola.
Press the granola mixture onto the baking sheet, pressing with a spatula until it's spread to the whole 9x13-inch pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden.
Remove from the oven and transfer the aluminum paper (with granola mixture on top) to a cutting board. Cut gently in to bars (but don't separate them). Then cool completely and cut again using the guides you cut after they came out of the oven.
Store bars in an airtight container for up to a week.

Kate

Thursday 27th of September 2012

I love easy breakfast ideas!

Susanne

These bars look so delicious! Quick question; do you think this would work with 4 cups of an oat/fruit/nut mixture instead of an already made granola? Thanks!

Sarah W. Caron

It absolutely would! You might want to toast the oats a little before using though. It will enhance the flavor.

Dana @ Conscious Kitchen Blog

I'm going to have to try these! I like granola bars, but hate the sugary, glossy coating that comes on almost all of them. Thanks for sharing!

Dana, I am not a big fan of most store-bought ones (aside from the KIND Bars that I adore and sometimes Nature Valley Bars) -- these are so much better. And they are so easy too, which makes it all the better. Hope you try them and love 'em!