Granola Bars

Another baking project on my list to tackle this past weekend was homemade granola bars. We are always looking for healthy snacks that are also tasty and filling, and these definitely sounded like they would fit the bill.

Granola Bars

2 cups oats (old fashioned, not instant)
1 cup unsalted peanuts, crushed
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup sunflower seeds

4 Tablespoons of butter
2/3 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of honey
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt

Mix-ins of your choice, such as: raisins, dried cranberries, dried apples, coconut, chocolate chips, peanut butter, etc.

Directions: Preheat oven to 400. Mix oats, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and crushed peanuts in a large mixing bowl, and stir to combine.

Spread the grains and nuts out on a baking sheet with sides, and place them in the oven. Bake until slightly toasted, but remove them about every 2 minutes or so to stir them around so the edges don't burn.

Meanwhile, mix butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan over medium low, stirring frequently. (If you are using any liquid add-ins, such as peanut butter, add them at this point. You'll want to slightly decrease the other liquid ingredients to compensate, though.)

When dry ingredients are done in the oven, remove and pour back into the mixing bowl. Pour brown sugar/butter mixture over them and stir. Now is the time you'll want to add any dry ingredients such as chocolate chips or dried fruit. Stir well to completely coat everything with the "glue."

Cover a 9x13" glass pan with wax paper, and lightly coat with cooking spray. Pour granola out into the pan. Using a second sheet of wax paper, folded over, press down to push granola to sides of pan. Press down all over to get it nice and packed in. Leave wax paper on top to cover.

Let granola cool completely, about 3 hours. When cool, remove from baking pan and plop it onto a cutting board. Remove wax paper, cut into pieces, wrap tightly in saran wrap to keep fresh. Enjoy!

Adapted from Joyful Abode, original recipe here. 

I made two kinds- apple peanut butter, and cranberry with white chocolate chips. They are both absolutely delicious, and I think these will last us for quite a while!