Chewy granola bars
I made these yesterday, and between the ones I sent home with my Nana today, the ones Ernie took to work, and the ones Katie and I ate this morning, I'm going to need to make more soon.
Yum. That is all. I'll never buy granola bars in the store again, because these were super easy, and so good.
adapted (slightly) from Smitten Kitchen (of course)
1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (use more for a sweetness akin to most purchased bars; use less for a mildly sweet bar -- my note: I used a little more than 1/2 and they were perfectly sweet. I'm going to cut it down a little next time)
1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (you could use kosher or regular, I guess, but I like the way you get a little bit of salt with your sweet)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups dried fruits and nut
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter (optional) (I used peanut butter, but will be getting some almond or cashew butter to try soon)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted butter (you could use fake butter, G, or some canola oil)
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup (I used honey)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.
Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry (and peanut butter, if you’re using it) until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)
Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. They’ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool.
Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment “sling” to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)
Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. [Updating to note, as many had crumbling issues:] If bars seem crumbly, chill the pan of them further in the fridge for 30 minutes which will fully set the “glue”, then cut them cold. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.
*Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried apples or even chocolate chips. My mix: 1/2 cup wheat germ, 1 cup dried cherries, 1 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes. Because my pieces were all pretty coarse, I pulsed them in the food processor a few times to break it up a little, though this isn’t necessary if you don’t mind yours chunkier. (I used 1/3 c. wheat germ, 1/3 c. sweetened coconut, 1/3 c. pepitas, 1/3 c. pecans, 2/3 c. cranberries and the rest diced dried fruit. Mine equaled 3 1/3 cups, because of the wheat germ)
Yum. That is all. I'll never buy granola bars in the store again, because these were super easy, and so good.
adapted (slightly) from Smitten Kitchen (of course)
1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (use more for a sweetness akin to most purchased bars; use less for a mildly sweet bar -- my note: I used a little more than 1/2 and they were perfectly sweet. I'm going to cut it down a little next time)
1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (you could use kosher or regular, I guess, but I like the way you get a little bit of salt with your sweet)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups dried fruits and nut
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter (optional) (I used peanut butter, but will be getting some almond or cashew butter to try soon)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted butter (you could use fake butter, G, or some canola oil)
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup (I used honey)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.
Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry (and peanut butter, if you’re using it) until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)
Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. They’ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool.
Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment “sling” to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)
Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. [Updating to note, as many had crumbling issues:] If bars seem crumbly, chill the pan of them further in the fridge for 30 minutes which will fully set the “glue”, then cut them cold. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.
*Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried apples or even chocolate chips. My mix: 1/2 cup wheat germ, 1 cup dried cherries, 1 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes. Because my pieces were all pretty coarse, I pulsed them in the food processor a few times to break it up a little, though this isn’t necessary if you don’t mind yours chunkier. (I used 1/3 c. wheat germ, 1/3 c. sweetened coconut, 1/3 c. pepitas, 1/3 c. pecans, 2/3 c. cranberries and the rest diced dried fruit. Mine equaled 3 1/3 cups, because of the wheat germ)
Comments
nothin' says lovin' like granola bars babeeee!!!
I can't wait to try these. She's so convincing, that smitten. I tried her three-ingredient pasta sauce a little while back because of the way she writes about her food. You can't NOT try it.
Still excellent.
I'm debating tinkering with them the next time to make them more like a dessert, with more peanut butter, some rice krispies, and choc chips/chunks.