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Chocolate chip granola squares

Oats, honey, olive oil and chocolate chips pressed into a pan, with flaky salt scattered over the top while it's hot.

By Jared Veldheer

Published

Servings
16 small squares
Total time
About 1 hour 50 minutes, including cooling before lifting
Jump to recipe
Breakfast burrito halves with egg, sausage and cheese, beside salsa, a granola square, watermelon, blueberries and pickled vegetables.
Thursday's tray, with a chocolate chip granola square at right.

Salt them while they're hot

This is our house granola pressed into a pan and cut into squares. It's straightforward. I added chocolate chips to this batch, and they went over well in the lunchroom.

My favorite part is the flaky salt. I use Maldon. Those flakes have a texture that makes a chocolate chip granola square taste even better, no matter how old you are.

Put the salt on as soon as the pan comes out. It catches on the warm, sticky surface and stays with the granola. Wait until everything is cold and dry and more of it ends up loose in the pan.

Home recipe

Chocolate chip granola squares

The Lunch Lady · Jared Veldheer

Servings
16 small squares
Prep time
About 15 minutes
Cook time
About 35 minutes
Total time
About 1 hour 50 minutes, including cooling before lifting

Equipment: A 9-inch square metal baking pan, parchment paper, mixing bowl, spatula and sharp knife.

Ingredients

Check off ingredients as you go.

Granola

Instructions

Granola

  1. Heat the oven to 300°F conventional or 275°F convection. Line a 9-inch square metal pan with parchment, leaving enough hanging over two sides to lift the cooled slab.
  2. Stir the Besti Brown into the honey until evenly combined. Stir in the olive oil, vanilla, cinnamon and kosher salt. Add the oats and chia and mix until everything is coated.
  3. Press firmly and evenly into the pan, reaching all the corners. Lay another piece of parchment over the top and use a flat-bottomed measuring cup to compact it. Remove the top parchment before baking.
  4. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, checking at 25 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center no longer looks wet. Turn the pan if one side is browning faster. The slab will still be soft when hot.
  5. Immediately scatter the flaky salt and chocolate chips over the hot granola. Let the chips soften for a minute, then gently press them into the surface with parchment. Don't stir them through the slab.
  6. After about 15 to 20 minutes, score into 16 squares with a firm downward cut. Leave in the pan until fully cool, about another 45 to 60 minutes, then lift with the parchment and separate along the cuts.

Recipe notes

  • These are tender granola squares. Pressing firmly and letting them cool before lifting helps them stay together. Any broken pieces are good over yogurt.
  • Besti Brown is the sweetener used in the school version. Brown sugar can replace it by equal volume, but the sweetness, browning and finished texture will differ. Start checking at the same early point.
  • Add the chips after baking so they soften onto the top instead of melting through the entire batch.
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