Chewy & Wholesome All-Bran Chocolate Chip Bars: The Perfect Healthy-ish Treat Recipe
After indulging in rich holiday feasts, many of us crave something sweet yet a little lighter, a treat that satisfies without feeling overly decadent. Look no further! This delightful recipe for chewy All-Bran Chocolate Chip Bars is your ideal solution. Combining the wholesome goodness of All-Bran cereal and whole wheat flour with the irresistible allure of chocolate chips and crunchy nuts, these bars offer a balanced indulgence that’s perfect for any time of year. They’re not just delicious; they also pack a fiber punch, making them a smart choice for a snack or a light dessert.
Discovering Your Next Favorite Wholesome Sweet Treat
These All-Bran Chocolate Chip Bars stand out for their fantastic texture and flavor profile. Imagine a soft, chewy bar that melts in your mouth, studded with gooey chocolate and bits of nutty goodness. What makes them truly special is the inclusion of All-Bran cereal and whole wheat flour, which contribute a unique chewiness and a boost of dietary fiber. This combination ensures that while you’re enjoying a sweet treat, you’re also incorporating wholesome ingredients into your diet. It’s the best of both worlds: a satisfying dessert that offers a touch of nourishment.
The journey to perfecting this recipe began with a simple search for “sweet & healthy snacks” on the All-Bran website. The original recipe provided an excellent foundation, but as is often the case with home baking, a few personal touches can elevate a good recipe to a great one. My adjustments involved tripling the amount of chocolate chips and adding chopped pecans. These modifications proved to be a “good call,” transforming the bars from merely healthy to truly irresistible. Without these extra indulgences, the bars might have leaned “too healthy” for some palates, but with them, they strike a wonderful balance that appeals to everyone.
Don’t let the “healthy-ish” description mislead you into thinking these bars compromise on taste. On the contrary, they are incredibly delicious and pair wonderfully with a warm cup of tea or coffee, making them an excellent choice for a morning snack, an afternoon pick-me-up, or a satisfying dessert after a meal. Their comforting flavor and satisfying chewiness make them a versatile addition to your baking repertoire, offering a homemade alternative to store-bought treats.
All-Bran Chocolate Chip Bars: The Full Recipe
All-Bran Chocolate Chip Bars
Cookie Madness
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Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup Kellogg’s® All-Bran® Original cereal
- ½ cup whole wheat flour stir well, aerate and measure lightly
- ½ cup all-purpose flour stir well, aerate and measure lightly
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons water
- ¾ cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans optional
Instructions
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Prepare Your Pan: Line a 9×13 inch metal pan with nonstick foil or regular foil. If using regular foil, remember to spray it lightly with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Preheat your oven to 350° F (175° C).
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Combine Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the All-Bran cereal, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Make sure to stir the flours well to aerate them before measuring lightly, then combine thoroughly. Set this dry mixture aside.
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Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate, large mixing bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, large egg, and firmly packed brown sugar until smooth. Incorporate the vanilla extract and water, mixing until everything is well combined.
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Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the reserved cereal mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
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Prepare for Baking: Spread the batter evenly into your prepared 9×13 inch pan. If you’re using chopped pecans, sprinkle them over the top of the batter at this stage.
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Bake and Cool: Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until the bars are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter. Let the bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before attempting to lift them out. Once cool, lift from the pan using the foil edges and cut into 16 or 24 bars or squares.
Notes
This recipe is a modified version from the All-Bran recipe collection, originally found at their website.
Original Source (for reference): http://www.all-bran.com/recipes/cookie-chip-bars.aspx
Diving Deeper into the Ingredients for Ultimate Flavor and Texture
Each ingredient in these All-Bran Chocolate Chip Bars plays a crucial role in creating their signature chewy texture and rich flavor. Understanding their purpose can help you appreciate the recipe even more and inspire your own customizations.
- Kellogg’s® All-Bran® Original Cereal: This is the star ingredient for a reason! All-Bran cereal not only adds a significant amount of dietary fiber, promoting digestive health and satiety, but also contributes to the unique, hearty chewiness of the bars. As it softens during baking, it blends seamlessly into the dough, giving the bars their distinct texture.
- Whole Wheat Flour & All-Purpose Flour: The combination of these two flours is key to achieving the perfect balance. Whole wheat flour brings in more fiber, nutrients, and a slightly denser, more wholesome texture, while all-purpose flour ensures the bars aren’t too heavy or dense, maintaining a delightful tenderness. The note to “stir well, aerate and measure lightly” is important for both flours to prevent overpacking and ensure a lighter, more tender crumb.
- Semisweet or Dark Chocolate Chips: These are the indulgence factor! Chocolate chips provide pockets of rich, melting sweetness that perfectly complement the wholesome base. Whether you prefer semisweet for classic sweetness or dark chocolate for a deeper, more intense flavor, they are essential for making these bars truly special. The generous quantity ensures a chocolatey bite in every piece.
- Chopped Pecans (Optional but Recommended): Nuts add a wonderful crunch and a depth of flavor that contrasts beautifully with the chewiness of the bars and the sweetness of the chocolate. Pecans offer a buttery, slightly earthy note, but walnuts or even a mix of nuts would also be delicious. If you have nut allergies or simply prefer to omit them, the bars will still be fantastic.
- Brown Sugar & Vegetable Oil: Brown sugar contributes to the moist, chewy texture and adds a lovely caramel note, deepening the overall flavor. Using vegetable oil instead of solid fats like butter makes for a quicker, easier mixing process and results in a consistently moist bar.
- Egg, Vanilla, and Baking Powder/Salt: The egg binds the ingredients together and adds richness. Vanilla extract enhances all the other flavors. Baking powder provides the slight lift needed for a bar cookie, while salt balances the sweetness and brings out the flavors of the other ingredients.
Tips for Baking Perfect All-Bran Chocolate Chip Bars Every Time
Achieving the perfect batch of these wholesome chocolate chip bars is simple, especially with a few handy baking tips:
- Accurate Flour Measurement is Key: The recipe specifically calls for stirring and aerating the flours before measuring lightly. This means you should fluff up the flour in its container before spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off. Scooping directly can result in too much flour, leading to dry, dense bars.
- Pan Preparation Prevents Sticking: Lining your 9×13 inch pan with nonstick foil is a game-changer for easy removal. If you’re using regular foil, a light spray of cooking oil is crucial to ensure your bars don’t stick and can be lifted cleanly from the pan after cooling.
- Don’t Overmix the Dough: Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix only until just combined. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour too much, leading to tough bars instead of delightfully chewy ones.
- Watch for Doneness, Not Just Time: While 30 minutes is a good guide, oven temperatures can vary. Look for golden-brown edges and a set center. A toothpick inserted should come out with moist crumbs, not liquid batter. Overbaking will result in dry bars.
- Patience with Cooling: It’s tempting to cut into these bars warm, but for neat squares or bars, cooling completely is essential. Warm bars will be too soft and crumbly to cut cleanly. The cooling process allows them to set up and become perfectly chewy.
- Adjusting to Your Preferences: Feel free to customize the mix-ins! While chocolate chips and pecans are fantastic, consider adding dried cranberries, raisins, white chocolate chips, or even a sprinkle of shredded coconut for different flavor profiles.
Customizing Your All-Bran Bars: Endless Delicious Variations
One of the joys of baking is the ability to personalize recipes, and these All-Bran bars are wonderfully adaptable. Here are some ideas to make them uniquely yours:
- Cereal Substitutions: While All-Bran is ideal for its fiber and texture, you could experiment with other high-fiber cereals like Bran Flakes (crushed slightly) or even a mixed grain cereal for a different twist. Keep in mind that the texture might vary slightly.
- Nutty Alternatives: If pecans aren’t your favorite, feel free to substitute with an equal amount of chopped walnuts, almonds, or even peanuts for a different flavor. For a nut-free version, simply omit them entirely or replace them with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for added crunch.
- Extra Mix-Ins for Flavor: Beyond chocolate chips and nuts, consider stirring in other delicious additions. Dried fruits like cranberries, cherries, or raisins add chewiness and a burst of tart-sweet flavor. A tablespoon of orange or lemon zest can brighten the bars. White chocolate chips or butterscotch chips are also excellent choices for a different kind of sweetness.
- Flour Variations: For an even heartier bar, you could increase the whole wheat flour slightly, reducing the all-purpose flour, but be mindful that this might make the bars a bit denser. For those exploring gluten-free options, a good quality gluten-free all-purpose baking mix (that includes xanthan gum) could be a suitable substitute for both flours, though results may vary.
- Sweetness Adjustment: If you prefer your treats less sweet, you could try reducing the brown sugar by ¼ to ½ cup. However, be aware that sugar contributes to moisture and texture as well as sweetness, so a drastic reduction might alter the bars’ chewiness.
- Spice it Up: A pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg added to the dry ingredients can provide a warm, inviting spice note, especially delightful during cooler months.
Serving Suggestions and Storage for Freshness
These All-Bran Chocolate Chip Bars are incredibly versatile when it comes to serving. They are, as mentioned, wonderful with a hot beverage like coffee or tea, making them a perfect companion for a quiet moment. They also make an excellent, wholesome snack for kids and adults alike, whether packed in a lunchbox or enjoyed after a workout. For a special treat, warm a bar slightly and serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
To keep your bars fresh and delicious, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. If you want to extend their shelf life, they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. For longer storage, these bars freeze exceptionally well. Wrap individual bars tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm gently in the microwave for a quick treat.
The Harmony of Healthy and Indulgent
The beauty of these All-Bran Chocolate Chip Bars lies in their masterful blend of healthy components and delightful indulgence. They defy the misconception that a wholesome treat must be bland or unsatisfying. By incorporating fiber-rich All-Bran cereal and nutritious whole wheat flour, while generously including satisfying chocolate chips and crunchy nuts, this recipe proves that you don’t have to sacrifice flavor for health. It’s a smart way to enjoy a sweet craving, providing sustained energy and satiety that a purely sugary treat often lacks. Embrace these bars as your go-to “healthy-ish” sweet, a testament to how delicious wholesome eating can truly be.
Whether you’re looking for a simple, satisfying snack, a delicious dessert that won’t leave you feeling overly full, or a convenient grab-and-go breakfast option, these Chewy All-Bran Chocolate Chip Bars are sure to become a cherished recipe in your kitchen. Their ease of preparation, combined with their incredible taste and wholesome ingredients, makes them an unbeatable choice. Give this recipe a try, and enjoy a treat that’s as good for your taste buds as it is for your well-being!