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{This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill}
Making a childhood favorite today, homemade blueberry Nutri Grain bars.
As a kid, I loved Nutri Grain bars. I wasn’t really into sugary candies, potato chips, or other “kid” food, but I loved Nutri Grain bars. They were filled with fruity goodness and unlike like other snack bars, they were soft and had that fresh outta of the oven feel to them. Some days I would eat them as a quick breakfast, other days I’d snack on them after school.
As I got older, I slowly grew away from eating the Nutri Grain bars from the box, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get the cravings for one every now and again. <–don’t lie, you know you crave Oreos sometimes too…
In the first year of the blog I made these strawberry Nutri Grain bars (check them out for the strawberry goodness version, I’ve updated the recipe too) and had completely forgotten all about them.
Until now that is.
With everything happening with my Nonnie, it’s left me craving some childhood favorites. Sometimes when you feel kind of down all you really need to do to feel happy again is take yourself back to being a kid for a second.
I know it sounds silly, but trust me it works.
Thankfully, I have this amazing recipe, and my brothers, to bring out the kid out in me again and I could not be more grateful. And speaking of brothers, I just have to say what a life saver it’s been having Kai around (he’s staying at my parents house, which neighbors mine) to help with all the animals…hello to eight goats, thirteen chickens, and two cats. Could not be doing it all and keeping up with work (and life in general) without him. Family is truly the best and I love that mine is always there for each other for the ups and the downs.
Anyway, with back to school time right around the corner (little miss Asher goes back the 24th of August) my cravings for homemade Nutri Grain bars could not have come at a better time because these are perfect for an on the go breakfast or snack packed up for school!
And while you might think it would be hard to make something like these bars at home, it could not be more opposite.
These are actually incredibly quick and easy to make. Yeah!
Okay. Here’s how this recipe does down.
The dough is made up of two of my favorite Bob’s Red Mill ingredients, whole grain flour and old fashioned oats. If there are two baking ingredients I use most often, it’s probably these two.
The secret to the dough however? Greek yogurt. This is what keeps the bars from becoming crunchy, and instead leaves them incredibly soft and moist. I know it sounds a little weird, but trust me, after testing this recipe multiple times, it’s the Greek yogurt that is key!
For the filling, I made a simple homemade blueberry jam, because I had literally buckets of blueberries that were beginning to wrinkle, so jam it was! You can of course use store-bought jam too…and any flavor works!
These are delicious fresh out of the oven or packed up for snacks throughout the day. You can even freeze them and then thaw when you need something super quick!
And lastly? I just have to say that I made these again on Sunday solely for the purpose of wanting to bake up something comforting and it made my whole vibe just happier.
Bottom line? Bake up a childhood favorite, put a smile on…and maybe do something silly too. Sometimes we all just need to be carefree kids again…
Homemade Blueberry Nutri Grain Bars
Servings: 10 bars
Calories Per Serving: 285 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour
- 3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Old Fashioned Oats
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, grated
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup blueberry jam, homemade or store-bought
- buttermilk, for brushing
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix the flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, and salt together. Add the butter and toss to coat. Add the egg yolks, yogurt, honey, and vanilla and mix until combined, adding 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time until the dough comes together and forms a ball. 2. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Roll out into a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut the dough into about 4" x 4 1/2" squares. Place a heaping tablespoon of jam down the center of each square, leaving about 1/4 inch border. Brush the borders with buttermilk. Fold one side up and over the filling and then pinch the dough together at either end. Do the same for the other side and use your fingers to seal the dough together at the seams. Carefully roll the bar over and place the seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough.3. Cover the bars and place the baking sheet in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Once chilled, brush the tops of the bars lightly with buttermilk and transfer to the oven, bake on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top, do not over bake.4. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes, then carefully transfer the bars to a glass container with a lid, layering them between pieces of parchment paper. This will trap in heat and moisture, and slightly steam the bars, ensuring they remain soft. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the fridge for longer. These can also be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen, thaw for 1 hour.
Quick Blueberry Jam
Servings: 1 cups of jam
Calories Per Serving: 668 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1/3 cup honey
- juice of 1 lemon
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- 1. Add the blueberries, honey, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt to a medium size pot set over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, once boiling use a potato masher or fork to break down and mash the blueberries. Continue to cook for 5-8 minutes or until the jam has reduced and thickened by half. Remove from the heat and let cool. Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.
With fruity Nutri Grain bars in hand. Obviously.
{This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!}
This post was originally published on August 8, 2017
The recipe is top notch, I used wild berry fruit spread and oh my gosh.
How long are they good in the freezer?
Thanks so much, Alexis! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed! You can keep these in the freezer for 3 months.
Have a great Sunday!
The instructions call for cold water, but I don’t see where in the ingredients how much water to use?
Thank you!
Hi Katie,
You will want to use 1 tablespoon of cold water as needed. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Can you use regular instead of whole wheat flour?
Hi Rebecca,
Yes, that would be just fine for you to use! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love these bars:) xx
Hi! Is the flour you used the Bob Mill’s whole wheat pastry flour (in the link provided in the ingredient list) or is the Bob Mill’s whole wheat flour that is pictured above (red bag)? I am using fresh milled flour and needing to figure out what kind of wheat berries to use 🙂 Thanks!
Hey Lyndi! I like the pastry flour best! Hope you love these bars!! Have a nice week ahead too! xT
These are perfect!!! I doubled the recipe and will be freezing!! My toddler ate one while we grocery shopped today and was happy as a clam!! Thank you 🙂
Thanks so much, Jess:) Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed by your family, thanks for making it! xT
I don’t ever leave reviews for recipes but this one more than deserved it!!! Oh my gosh – perfection. It was better than what I was looking for. Nutrigrain bars can not compete with these. They tasted like a homemade pastry – and yet they were decently healthy. I used ground oats flour (organic baby oatmeal) instead of whole oats and it came out perfectly. The dough was so easy to work with and the end result was simply perfect. Thank you for an amazing recipe!!! Definitely saving this one and will try different variations – I think the dough could make for an excellent pie crust base or possible some Apple turnovers!
Hi Kara,
Happy Thursday! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was a winner! x
My 3 year old son loved them! I used a homemade blackberry jelly with a thick consistency and even put a little peanut butter in a few of them.
Hey there,
Yay!! So glad to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try!!
Wondering if I could make these egg free? As my little one is allergic. Any suggestions on what I could use?
Hi Lisa,
So sorry, I have never tested this recipe without the egg, so I am not sure what your results would be. You could try using an egg replacement such as a chia egg. xx
Hi
I have just made the dough and it is impossible to roll out – it is just extremely sticky. Is there some way to fix this ?
Thanks !
Hi Jordan,
So sorry to hear you are having issues rolling out the dough. Was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? I would try adding a touch more cold water or flour to your surface. I hope this helps! xT
I’ll be making these for my littles. Teaching them to make things will love! I was wondering when I make these, if I make a big batch how long can I save them for or put them in a vacuum sealed bag! Thank you (:
Thanks so much Mickyla! You can store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the fridge for 1 week. These can also be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen, thaw for 1 hour. I hope you love this recipe! xT
I was looking for a healthy and fun snack option for my 15 month old that he could help to make, and these were a great option! He was so proud of himself for helping and loved the taste when they came out of the oven. We’ll be making these again for sure! We love HBH recipes at our house!
Hey Chelsie,
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great Thursday:)
The jam ran out onto the parchment. I followed directions, buttermilk and pinch to seal. 😔
Hi April,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try, sorry to hear about the jam!! If you view my photos above, some of my jam leaked out as well. Did you freeze them in step 3? That should really help! I hope this helps! xT
These were easy to make and SO good! My whole family loved them. They taste so much like the real thing!
Hi Courtney,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed!! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Can’t wait to try these! They look delicious! I did make a few substitutions though, like I used strawberry jam instead of blueberry and I also used maple syrup instead of honey. I also did not have buttermilk so I went without a brushing. Mine did turn out a little messy though and slightly mis-proportioned but I blame that on me!? otherwise fantastic!!!???
Hi Bella,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your review!? xT
This was the bomb! In place of the 3/4 cup oats I used 1/2 cup oats and 1/4 cup hazelnut meal (what I had, and almond would also work). In place of cinnamon I used cardamom because for the filling I used a quick cherry ‘jam’ that I made by reducing frozen cherries with a splash of honey jack, and I thought the cardamom would go well. I was also out of honey and subbed maple syrup which worked perfectly fine.
I didn’t have any trouble with the dough, perhaps people who have didn’t add enough water to make it come together….?
2 thumbs up and will go in our breakfast recipe roundup.
Hey Rachel,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go!! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. ☘️Tieghan