Chocolate Hazelnut Granola Bars with Orange

Chocolate Hazelnut Granola Bars are a favorite snack, an on-the-go-breakfast, and an irresistible midnight treat! With a flavor profile similar to Nutella, with an added crunch and a splash of citrus, you'll want these on hand at all times.

There are granola bars, and there are Chocolate Hazelnut Granola Bars.

The unique blend of ingredients in these granola bars makes them stand out from all others.

Hazelnut Meal/Flour

Ingredients for Chocolate Hazelnut Granola Bars

(I often suggest brands I love and use — these are only suggestions and this is not a sponsored post.)

• hazelnut meal/four - Hazelnut meal/flour is ground, whole raw hazelnuts. I like this one from Bob's Red Mill.
• hazelnuts - If you purchase blanched hazelnuts, you'll have less work. The instructions in the recipe will guide you through removing the skins, so with their skins is okay too.
  
• old fashioned rolled oats
• cacao nibs - Cacao nibs are tiny bits of fermented, dried, roasted and crushed cacao beans. That's all they are -- no sugar, no milk, just the bean.
• unsalted butter - I bake with unsalted butter so I can control exactly how much salt is in the recipe.
• brown sugar - Both dark and golden are okay for this recipe.
  
• orange juice - Preferably freshly squeezed, though store bought is okay too.
  
• orange zest
• honey
• salt - I bake and cook with Kosher salt. (It’s coarse and salts foods in a subtle way that enhances their flavor without making them taste salty.)
• semisweet chocolate

How to Make Them

(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.) 


- In a medium-sized bowl combine oats, hazelnut meal, coca nibs, chopped hazelnuts and salt.

- In a large mixing bowl, combine softened butter, sugar, orange zest and juice and honey.

- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix it until everything is evenly blended -- it will resemble cookie dough.

- Use a spatula to help you "pour" the granola mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheets.

- Use a flat-bottomed metal spatula to flatten out the mixture. It should be about ½-inch thick.

- Roast in a preheated 350°F oven until it's a dark golden brown.



- Let it cool on the baking sheet until it's hard, but still soft enough to cut through without it cracking, about 10 minutes.

- Cut the cooked granola into about evenly sized, rectangular bars.

- Place the cut granola bars on a second, parchment-lined baking sheet, with 1 to 2 inches between them. Drizzle melted chocolate over them and let them cool completely until the chocolate has hardened. (This could take a while — to speed it up, you can place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.)

How to Peel Hazelnuts

- Preheat the oven to 375°F, and place the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet.

- When the oven is preheated, roast them until they are very aromatic and the skins are cracking, about 5 minutes.

- Let them cool for at least 5 minutes, and then they can be rubbed together in your hands, or in a dish towel, and the skins should flake away. (Some tiny bits of skin will remain, and that's okay.)

Can you make granola cereal instead of bars?

Absolutely! After removing the granola from the oven, instead of cutting it into bars, crumble it with your hands, and omit the chocolate drizzling.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

• If you are gluten-free, make sure the oats you use say they're gluten-free -- otherwise, there could be traces of gluten.
• When I break up the granola for cereal I like to add a handful of mini chocolate chips.
• If you want to substitute hazelnuts with a different nut, you can use almond meal and blanched almonds.

How to Store Them

• Store the granola bars in a tightly sealed container, with parchment or wax paper between layers. If stored this way in a cool dark place, they should keep their crispness for at least four days.

I hope you love these Chocolate Hazelnut Granola Bars as much as I do!

More granola recipes:

• Chocolate Coffee Granola
• Pumpkin Spice Apple Granola
• Spiced Granola Breakfast Cookies

Chocolate Hazelnut Granola Bars Recipe

Valentina K. Wein

These granola bars are fantastic for an on-the-go-breakfast, a delightful mid-day treat, or an irresistible midnight snack!

4 from 1 vote

Print

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Breakfast, Snacks

Cuisine American

Servings 27

Calories 243 kcal

Equipment

• sheet pan
• parchment paper

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 2 cups Old Fashioned rolled oats
• 1½ cups Bob's Red Mill Hazelnut Meal/Flour
• 1 cup cacao nibs (see notes)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1½ tablespoons orange zest (from about 2 Naval oranges)
• ½ cup fresh orange juice
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1½ cups semisweet chocolate, finely chopped and then melted

Instructions

 

• Roast and peel hazelnuts. Preheat the oven to 375°F, and place the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet.

  When the oven is preheated, roast them until they are very aromatic and the skins are cracking, about 5 minutes. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes, and then they can be rubbed together in your hands, or in a dish towel, and the skins should flake away. (Some tiny bits of skin will remain, and that's okay.) Roughly chop the nuts and set them aside.
• Reset oven and prepare pans. Turn the oven down to 350°F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Make the batter. In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the oats, hazelnut meal, cocao nibs, the chopped hazelnuts and salt. Mix and set aside.

  In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, sugar, orange zest and juice and honey. Mix until smooth.

  Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix it until everything is evenly blended -- it will resemble cookie dough.
• Bake. Use a spatula to help you "pour" the granola batter onto one of the parchment-lined baking sheets. Use a flat-bottomed metal spatula to spread it evenly. It should be about ½-inch thick and cover the sheet.

  Bake in the preheated 350°F oven until it's a dark golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Cool. Let it cool on the baking sheet until it's hard, but still soft enough to cut through without it cracking, about 10 minutes.
• Slice. With a Chef's knife, cut the cooked granola into about 27 evenly sized, rectangular bars.
• Drizzle with chocolate. Place the cut granola bars on the second, parchment-lined baking sheet, with 1 to 2 inches between them. Now use a small spoon to drizzle the melted chocolate over the bars. (This will work the best if your chocolate has just been melted and is still very warm.)
• Cool. Place the chocolate-drizzled bars on a large plate or platter to let the chocolate cool and harden completely. This might take an hour or so at room temperature. To speed it up, you can place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.

NOTES

Calorie count is only an estimate.

NUTRITION

Calories: 243kcal

Keywords great on-the-go snack, gluten-free snacks

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