2.23.2011

Homemade Granola Bars

I really love granola bars - I know what my sisters are thinking right now......."yeah b/c you are a granola". ha.  Anywho, they are a quick grab, packed with good things and last a while.  However, I haven't found very many that I like.  They are either too sweet, too crumbly, etc. 
So I searched the internet last week for a good homemade recipe.  I was going on a backpacking trip and wanted to take a really tasty good bar with us.
BINGO!  I found it.  They turned out really well and you can mix up the recipe with whatever ingredients you like best.  I thought I would share, just in case anyone out there wants to give it a go.

Homemade Granola Bars:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Gather your ingredients:
    •    2 cups old fashioned oats
    •    3/4 cup wheat germ
    •    3/4 cup sunflower seeds
    •    1 cup nuts*, crushed
    •    2/3 cup brown sugar
    •    1/2 cup honey
    •    4 Tbsp butter
    •    2 tsp vanilla extract
    •    1/2 tsp Kosher salt
    •    approx. 8 oz. dried fruit
*Nuts.  I used pecans, but any nuts will do, even peanuts.

Optional:  Have a very eager little helper.
[1] Crush Nuts.
To crush your nuts, put them in a plastic bag and smash them with a heavy mallet, measuring cup, or sauce pan.

[2]Then, mix the nuts, oats, wheat germ, and sunflower seeds in a baking dish with sides.
[3]Toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they don’t get burned.
[4]Meanwhile, prepare a glass 9X13 dish for your granola by lining it with waxed paper, lightly sprayed with a nonstick spray.
[5]Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.
[6]By now, your grains and nuts should be toasted, so mix everything together in a large bowl. The grains, the liquid “glue,” and the dried fruit.
Mix everything REALLY WELL because you want to make sure the “glue” gets all over everything.
[7]Now, dump your granola mixture into your prepared baking dish.
[8]Spread out the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula.  Now fold over the sides of the waxed paper or add a sheet on top, and PRESS HARD all over the granola. You want to compact it together so that your bars won’t fall apart when you cut them.
**Optional:  I added a handful of whole almonds to the top and pushed them down into the mixture.  You probably could do this with chocolate chips too.

[9]Wait 2-3 hours or until the granola has totally cooled.
Then, open the waxed paper …
And carefully turn the granola onto a large cutting board, peeling away the rest of the paper.
Now, firmly pressing down with a big knife (not sawing), cut your granola into whatever size bars you’d like.

[10] I wrapped my bars individually so they would be an easy grab-and-go.
VOILA.  Hope you enjoy.  They are chewy and a nice balance of sweet (fruit and glue) and nuts.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for sharing! Your pictures are beautiful. Here's the weird factor: my sister was talking about making granola bars the same day as your post and it got me thinking about wanting to find a good recipe. We're making this this weekend! Not that you have all the time in the world to post this, but I'd also LOVE to have your Chex Mix recipe. Mmmmm, delish!

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  2. I plan to try these...wish me luck!

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  3. Been meaning to let you know, these were delish!

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