Homemade Granola Bars

During the summer when the kids are out of school I find it easy to slip into lazy snacking. When I pack their lunches during the school year I tend to put more thought into it when I shop ahead, but come summer time we just kind of wing it and that’s not always a good thing!

I’ve made these granola bars by Alton Brown many times and they’re a big hit. The girls all love them and even my husband, who’s not really into granola, enjoys a bar here and there.

They’re delicious on their own or crumbled up over homemade ice cream or yogurt!

I like to ease up just a bit on the wheat germ and put in about three tablespoons of ground flax seed. I also like to use dried cranberries and/or raisins.

Homemade Granola Bars

8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, about 2 cups
1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, about 1/2 cup
3 ounces sliced almonds, about 1 cup
1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, about 1/2 cup
6 ounces honey, about 1/2 cup
1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, about 1/4 cup packed
1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

[image: flickr]