Why on earth would anyone make granola bars? I have made some pretty silly things in my day from individual yogurts, creme fraiche, sausages........but granola bars? My son asked for granola bars for lunches this week. I said sure, I'll run out to the store and get you some. I looked out the window, and I was taken back to when I was home with my kids when they were babies, and quite housebound. If a blizzard was blowin' we weren't goin' ! I said to my husband that I was not going outside. Granola bars musn't be too difficult to make. I checked the pantry.
Rolled oats
Flaked Coconut
Natural Bran
3 kinds of nuts
Dried Blueberries
Honey
I found a recipe on a site called Mother Earth News. Doesn't that sound granola? I changed the recipe a bit to match my pantry ingredients. I made sure to press them firmly into the pan and then cut them warm. I thought they wouldn't stay together, but they did. They turned out great. My 2 very large boys said they were "awesome". The snow day turned out some great results. Granola Bars, Fruit Yeast Bread, Hazlenut and Apricot Tea Loaf, Beef Stock, Chicken Stock.....and then supper. Recipe Follows:
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 1/4 cup nuts any variety, chopped
1/2 cup bran
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
1 cup dried cranberries, currants or raisins
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Preheat oven to 300
2 Mix together the oats, coconut, chopped nuts and bran. Spread out on a bakesheet and toast in the oven until golden (about 20 minutes)
3 Mix together the honey, butter and brown sugar in a sauce pan. Heat on the stove until just bubbling. Add the vanilla extract at the end.
4 Mix together the toasted ingredients with the honey mixture.
5 Add in the dried fruits.
6 Press into a greased 9 X 13 cake pan. Press down very firmly.
7 Place back into the oven for another 20 minutes.
8 Let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Then cut into granola bar shapes. Let cool completely in the pan. Wrap separately and store
2 Mix together the oats, coconut, chopped nuts and bran. Spread out on a bakesheet and toast in the oven until golden (about 20 minutes)
3 Mix together the honey, butter and brown sugar in a sauce pan. Heat on the stove until just bubbling. Add the vanilla extract at the end.
4 Mix together the toasted ingredients with the honey mixture.
5 Add in the dried fruits.
6 Press into a greased 9 X 13 cake pan. Press down very firmly.
7 Place back into the oven for another 20 minutes.
8 Let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Then cut into granola bar shapes. Let cool completely in the pan. Wrap separately and store
Servings: 15
Yield: 1 X 3 inch bars
Oven Temperature: 300°F
A Snowy Blustery Day!
