Make it at Home: Granola Bars

After goggling the history of granola bars, I was surprised to find that the same man who invented these snacks also invented the squeezable ketchup bottle, dental floss dispensers, and heated pizza boxes.  You learn something knew everyday.  Granola bars are great to snack on in the middle of the day or while on a hike, due to the insane amount of calories they provide.  But how healthy can granola bars be?  I can’t even pronounce the many preservatives and chemicals found in store-bought granola bars.  Last year, I stumbled upon a recipe for homemade granola bars and haven’t bought any since.  I was on a granola bar kick for a while.  It is incredibly simple; one bowl is all you need.  Everything gets tossed together and baked in the oven for 10 minutes.  What you get is a chewy, sweet, and healthy snack.

The best part about these granola bars, besides being easy to make, is that you can add anything you want to them.  I use this as any opportunity to clean out my pantry.  I usually add a handful of this and a handful of that, using anything that may be leftover from previous baking.  A handful of almond, shredded coconut, dried cranberries; usually always make it into the mix.  But you really can use any nuts or dried fruit you have lying around.  Today, I made Cherry-Nut Granola Bars.

First, prepare a 9” x 13” pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray and cut a piece of parchment paper to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Set aside.

After measuring 2 cups of oats, add 1/2 cups of sugar.  I used regular white sugar, but you could use any type of sugar like brown or coconut.

Add in 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Next, you need to add in total, 2 1/2 cups of extras.  I added a 1/2 cup each of mini chocolate chips, dried cherries and cranberries with chopped pecans and almonds.

After measuring 1/3 cup of almond butter, add 1/4 cup of honey and 1 tablespoon water.  Then add 3 tablespoons of melted chocolate coconut butter and 3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil.

Mix together all the wet ingredients before combining with the dry ingredients.  Mix until all the dry ingredients are evenly coated with wet mixture.

It should look like this.

Spread the mixture into the prepared pan.  You may need to press the mixture into the pan to ensure that it is tightly packed together.  Bake in a 350⁰F oven for about 10 minutes.  You should begin to smell the chocolate and nuts toasting.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely; it should take about 30 minutes.  It’s better if they set up before you try and cut them, otherwise you will be dealing with granola bars that don’t want to stay together.

These granola bars will disappear in no time.  A good portion of the pan I just made is already gone!

Cherry-Nut Granola Bars

Yield: 12 squares

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups oats
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1/3 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon water
• 3 tablespoons coconut butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9"x13" pan with non-stick cooking spray and cut parchment paper to cover bottom and sides of the pan.  Set aside.
3. Combine oat, sugar, salt, chocolate, dried fruit, and chopped nuts into a medium bowl.
4. In a small bowl combine almond butter, honey, water, coconut butter, and coconut oil.
5. Add wet ingredients to the medium bowl and mix together until dry ingredients are evenly coated.
6. Spread into the prepared pan and bake for 10-15 minutes, until you can smell the toasted nuts and it is golden.
7. Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting into squares.