homemade granola bars.

Soy lethicin, polyglycerol polyricinoleate, hydrogenated modified palm oil, sorbitol...BHT. Just a few of the ingredients in the Quaker granola bar I was eating just the other day. While my general opinion is "if you can't read it...you probably shouldn't eat it", it's almost impossible to avoid some of the additives and preservatives they put in food products these days. While it's very important to be aware of what you're eating and putting into your body, I believe it's all in moderation. There's no sense in worrying about the miniscule amounts of sorbitol in your granola bar...I'm pretty sure no one ever died from eating a Peanut Butter Dipps bar.

My moto...do what you can. Avoiding pre-packaged foods as much as possible is a good place to start. When you make things from scratch, you can control what goes into the food you're eating. Case in point...these delicious homemade granola bars! Quick, easy and...legible! This recipe is really just a mere suggestion. There's so many things you can do with this recipe...so many variations and flavours. Mixing in cocconut, pistashios, raisins, maple syrup...trying out different cereals...adding in butterscotch chips...peanut butter...anything goes! (within reason off course).


Homemade Granola Bars

- (1/2) cup of whole nuts - almonds, peanuts, walnuts, etc.
- (1/2) cups of chocolate chips or dried fruit, coarsely chopped (cranberries, cherries...)
- (1) cup of oatmeal of high fibre cereal (like Kashi GoLean)
- (1) cup of puffed rice cereal
- (1) tbsp butter
- (1/4) cup of brown sugar
- (1/3) cup of honey
- (1) tbsp vanilla extract
- (2) tbsp of wheat bran (optional)
- (1) pinch of salt


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare an 8x8-inch pan with oil, butter or non-stick cooking spray.

Arrange the nuts on a sheet pan and toast for 10 minutes or until fragrant. Allow them to cool and then give them a rough chop.

Combine the chopped nuts, chocolate or fruit, and cereals in a heat-proof bowl. Use your fingers to separate the fruit if it clumps together. Note that adding the chocolate chips at this point will cause them to melt completely and give your bars an overall chocolatey consistency. If you'd prefer to have the chips mantain their structure, you can try to add them right before baking, after the sugar mixture has been added and had a chance to slightly cool. They may still melt slightly throughout the bars.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Combine butter, brown sugar, and honey in a medium sauce pan and stir to moisten the brown sugar. Set over medium heat and bring to a boil, swirling the pan once or twice to make sure all the ingredients combine.

As soon as the sugar mixture comes to a full boil and the sugar is completely dissolved, remove from heat. This should take about 5 minutes.
Off the heat, stir in the vanilla, wheat bran (if you're adding it), and salt. Be careful because the sugar will bubble up. Immediately pour sugar syrup over the cereal mixture and use a heat-proof spatula to stir everything together. Make sure the nuts, chocolate or fruits, and cereals are evenly coated. Pour the cereal mixture into the pan and use the spatula or wet fingers to press the mixture into the pan as firmly as possible.

Bake 20 minutes for chewier bars or up to 30 minutes for crispier bars. Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan. Cut into approximately 8 to 10 bars, depending on the size your prefer, with a sharp knife.

 
I wrapped up all the bars individually in plastic wrap so they're good to go for a quick snack. The bars will keep for several weeks in an airtight container, or you can also freeze them and take them out as you need them.

Enjoy!

Lindsay