I have found myself at Terra Breads three times this week to pick up one of their new granola bars.
At $2 and 200 calories, they are the perfect size for a little afternoon snack. Terra recently included the granola bars in their product line up – they are a natural addition given their wildly successful granola. The bars really are delicious. The have a great consistency and are not too sweet. Nonetheless, given my recent kick on them, I decided to make my own.
Easy Homemade Granola Bars
(recipe from Carpeseason.com; originally from Smitten Kitchen )
This easy granola bar recipe makes perfect salty-sweet chewy granola bars that are not too sweet. You can use any combination of dried fruit or nuts that you like. They come together quickly and can even be frozen.
Makes an 8X8 pan.
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 c. quick rolled oats
- 1/2 to 3/4 c. granulated sugar, to taste (I use a scant 1/2 c.)
- 1/3 c. oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed until finely ground in a food processor or blender)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 to 3 c. dried fruits and nuts (total of 10 to 15 ounces)*
- 1/3 c. peanut butter or another nut butter (optional)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp. melted butter
- 1/4 c. honey or maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. light corn syrup
- 1 tbsp. water
- parchment paper
*Suggestions: dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried apples or even chocolate chips.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8? x 8? x 2? pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides (to make a “sling”). Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.
Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners, water, and peanut butter if using. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing down firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it with your hands.)
Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. They’ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool.
Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment “sling” to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)
Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. If bars seem crumbly, chill the pan of them further in the fridge for 30 minutes which will fully set the “glue”, then cut them cold (I’ve had to do this every time). To store: place bars in an airtight container, or wrap bars individually in plastic. Keep in the fridge. You can also freeze these in an airtight container; I’ve frozen them before individually in wax paper.
Last modified: January 23, 2017
