Homemade Granola Bars!
Yum yum!
And so much better for you. I make them with almost all organic ingredients, and no sugar.
No unknown strange chemicals, no high fructose corn syrup, no guilt!
You would think they are hard to make, but with some simple instruction, they are no problem. I make them at least once a week, and they are scrumptious!
What you need:
Rolled Oats
Honey
Pumpkin Seeds
Sliced Almonds
Salt
Vanilla Extract
Dried Cranberries
Peanut Butter
That's IT!
I feel good about all of these ingredients. All good things.
Here's some info on the health benefits of pumpkin seeds:
Here's some interesting facts about almonds:
And here's some reasons to eat cranberries:
First you take 2 cups of rolled oats and lay them out flat on a baking sheet.
Heat the oven up to 375 degrees and place the oats in the oven to toast.
For me the toasting usually takes about 15 minutes, I would check on them frequently. When they start to turn golden on top, they are done.
Like this:
Take it out of the oven and let them cool.
While they are toasting I mix 1/2 a cup of dried cranberries, 1/4 cup of sliced almonds, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds in a large bowl.
The almonds aren't in the pic. Sorry. Frowny face.
Then I also mix 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 2 full tablespoons of peanut butter, and 1/2 cup of honey in a small pot on low heat on the stove. Stir frequently until all the peanut butter is smooth and mixed in with the honey. Do NOT let it boil. Just warm it up, stir it up, your good.
I then mix all the wet and dry ingredients in the large bowl. I wait a few minutes to let everything cool down before I put in 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. Otherwise they just melt. They usually melt a bit anyway but this way you still get the bits of chocolate instead of just melted goo.
Press the mixture into a greased 9 x 9 pan. It should be sticky but not wet.
I like my granola bars chewy on the inside but with a little crunch on the outside so I bake them for 12 minutes at 375 degrees. If you like them chewy I would only do 8 minutes. If you like them very crunchy, go a bit longer about 15 minutes, but watch closely so they don't burn.
Let them cool fully before cutting into desired sizes. Otherwise they will crumble. They still might crumble some, that's ok (they're homemade, not store bought!) but to reduce it wait until they are cooled down.
And there you go!
This is a pretty basic recipe, and if you want to add different dry ingredients, go for it! Just keep the ratios the same or your will get a granola bar that is either too crumbly (still makes good cereal) or too wet (sometimes just bake it a bit longer, still a good snack).
Another tip: I have started getting all my ingredients in bulk at the natural health food store. The cost is significantly less. Except the chocolate chips. I still can't bring myself to fork out the cash for organic chocolate (it ain't cheap) but the bulk section is my friend for oats, pumpkin seeds, and cranberries.
Happy Baking!
Organic Granola Bars
2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cups chocolate chips
2 T. peanut butter
1 t. vanilla extract
1/8 t. salt
Toast the rolled oats on a baking sheet, spread out, for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Allow to cool. Mix salt, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and cranberries in large mixing bowl. Warm on stove in small pot peanut butter, vanilla, and honey. Stir frequently until smooth. Mix all ingredients minus chocolate chips in large bowl. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then add chocolate chips. Press into greased 9x9 baking pan and bake for 12 minutes on 375 degrees. Allow to fully cool before cutting into desired pieces.
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