Granola Goodness

Hiya. I decided it was time to share my home-made granola bar goodness with the world. If you enjoy granola bars, and have never tried making your own, I highly recommend it! Trust me, with these babies, you will never go back to the box.

 

My only warning: You will probably end up wanting to eat more at one time than you would if they came out of the box. But don't worry, by the third of fourth time you make them, it will become easier to resist eating three or four at one time. Except when they are warm, that doesn't get easier with time, because warm granola bars are just so DANG GOOD.

Here is the original recipe that I tried, but it didn't work out the best for me, so I've made some adaptations.  http://weelicious.com/2011/09/06/chocolate-chip-granola-bars/

Ingredients: 

 4 cups old fashioned oats

 1/4 cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

 1 cup mini chocolate chips*

 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

 1/2 cup canola oil

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 1/2 cup honey 

1/8-1/4  cup peanut butter  

(depending on your peanut-buttery preference)

*The chocolate chips can be substituted or supplemented with your choice of add-ins. I've tried dried cranberries, but the flavor was a little overpowering for me.

Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
4. Pour the wet ingredients over the oat mixture and stir to combine.
5. Place granola mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet and shape into a rectangle
6. Bake for 23-25 minutes.
7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then cut into 3 bars.
8. Eat to your heart's content!

  Alright, here we go. I'm not going to lie to you and say that these are a quick and simple solution to your granola bar needs. It takes a little effort, but it is so worth it! And it gets easier after the first time you make them, I promise!

 Dry ingredients. I chose to use mini M&M's in place of the chocolate chips this time. They worked great, and tend to be a little less messy if you are like me, and eat your granola bar(s) in the car on the way to work. They won't melt in your fingers as much as chocolate chips do!

Mix wet ingredients on their own and then add to the dry mixture. At first it will seem like you don't have nearly enough liquid to mix into all the oats, but just keep mixing! It will get there!

 

Yummy granola goodness, all mixed up. 

 Carefully plop your granola mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper.  I learned the hard way that parchment paper is probably the most important ingredient to this recipe, next to the oats. The first time I made them, I substituted wax paper for parchment paper and spent a good 20 minutes trying to salvage whatever granola I could that wasn't burnt and melded to the wax paper.

 

I have found that the better compressed the granola is prior to baking, the better you bars will hold together when you cut them after baking.Use a spatula or something with a flat surface to press the granola into a rectangle. I get a little obsessive and see how perfect of a rectangle I can shape it.

Here's what they look like straight out of the oven. A little crispy  and brown around the edges doesn't bother me, but if you want a softer bar all the way through, keep an eye on them while baking.

I am an impatient baker and my impulse is to cut things and eat them the minute they come out of the oven, but with these, it really is worth it to wait at least 10 minutes before cutting, if you want any chance of actually cutting them into bar-like shapes. If that's not a priority, then by all means, dig in fist first and ENJOY!