A Well-balanced Chocolate Granola Bar

Don't you love such grab-and-go pick-me-up bars?.With summer around the corner ,which also means travel adventures and excursions,a well-balanced snack like such will not just save few bucks but also satisfy your hunger while avoiding the empty calories from the junk snacking.Needless to say these bar also make a splendid breakfast-on-the-go.
Last week I bought this granola cereal ,only to be baffled by its sugar content,18grams per serving,that's very sweet( nearly as much sugar as in a chocolate candy bar!).I was carried away by the alluring "all natural,low-fat,good source of fiber" catch-words of health foods on the box and overlooked the high sugar content.Now what do you do to mend such mistakes? The only fix I could think of is to make this chocolate granola bar with no added sugar and added nutrition.The result was very satisfying Well-balanced low-sugar bar ,don't you agree?
You could also try my Oats dates or Fruit Dark Chocolate & Almond Granola bars granola made with plain oats in case you don't have such sweet granola in store.Or check the variation of the same recipe with plain oats at the end of the post.

(Makes about 6 rectangular bars)
Ingredients
2 cups Granola Cereal(I used this),coarsely ground in a food processor or blender.
1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup Brown Rice flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup nuts(Almonds or pistachios or walnuts),coarsely pulverized in a processor or grinder.
1/4 cup raisins or cranberries or cherries,coarsely chopped[I didn't use any dry fruits,the cereal was already mixed with raisins]
1 large Organic egg ,Vegans could substitute with 1/2 cup firm tofu
1/4 cup flax seed meal
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup reduced fat milk or soy milk[add a little more if the mixture is too dry]
2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil

*you could use 1/4 cup of brown sugar if the cereal is low in sugar(i.e <6grams).
** the brown rice flour adds a little crunch to the bar besides the nutrition.Whole wheat flour or all purpose flour can also be substituted.

Method
Preheat Oven to 350F.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.Whisk egg in another smaller bowl,mix in oil and milk.Now gradually add this to the dry mixture until well incorporated.
Spoon the mixture on to a baking pan(8X8 inches).Now is the time to score using a table knife in to required size portions.
Bake for 20 minutes .Remove from the oven;leave in the pan to cool slightly.Separate along the cuts.cool on rack,store in air tight container in a refrigerator for up to a week.

Variation with Plain rolled oats
2 cups whole or quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup Brown Rice flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nuts(Almonds or pistachios or walnuts),coarsely pulverized in a processor or grinder.
1/4 cup raisins or cranberries or cherries,coarsely chopped
1 large Organic egg ,Vegans could substitute with 1/2 cup firm tofu
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup brown or white sugar
1/4 teaspoon Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup reduced fat milk or soy milk[or use 100% fruit juice]
3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil


The Grab n Go Healthful bars are off to Ben's Homemade # 3 - Bars and Poornima's For the love of chocolate.