Granola Bars
"Granola bars" were invented by Stanley Mason and have become popular as a snack. Granola bars are usually identical to the normal form of granola in composition, but differ vastly in shape: Instead of a loose, breakfast cereal consistency, granola bars are pressed and baked into a bar shape, resulting in the production of a more convenient snack.
A variety of the granola bar is the "chewy granola bar." In this form, the time during which the oats are baked is either shortened or cut out altogether; this gives the bar a texture that is chewier than that of a traditional granola bar.
Granola Bars
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Ina Garten has a similar recipe, except she uses 2/3 cup honey, 3 Tbsp. butter, 1 cup coconut in place of the sunflower seeds, and her choice of dried fruits is dates, apricots, and cranberries (1/2 cup each).
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 (2 Tbsp.), 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. [Don't do this; they will be impossible to cut. Cut while still warm. Put them in a warm oven if you need to soften them again. Remove from pan once cool.] Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Yield: 16 2" bars
Nutritional value per 2" square:
193 calories
30.52 grams of carbohydrate
4.5 grams of protein
6.8 grams of fat
3.66 grams of fiber
61.28 mg sodium
Peanut-Raisin Granola Bars (uses sweetened condensed milk)
Courtesy of Food Network Magazine
Cooking spray
2 1/2 cups rolled or quick-cooking oats
1 cup dry-roasted peanuts
1 cup raisins
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 325. Line a 15-by-10-inch rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray [parchment may be a better idea - foil is hard to remove if it sticks].
Mix the oats, peanuts, raisins, seeds, cinnamon, condensed milk and butter in a bowl. Spread evenly on the baking sheet and bake until golden, about 45 minutes.
Cool slightly, then lift off the baking sheet using the foil and invert onto a cutting board. Peel off the foil and cut into bars. Wrap individually in plastic wrap.
48 bars
Lola Granola Bars
Recipe courtesy of Mary Molina, https://www.foodnetwork.com/
FMM: This recipe cooks the honey, coconut oil and vanilla until the mixture turns a copper color. Some reviewers said their bars were too hard and could not be cut; they had to break them apart. One reviewer said the temperature using a candy thermometer should not be more than 248 degrees, which is the firm ball stage. I like this idea of firmer bars and may give this technique a try.
Cooking spray
2 cups oats
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup whole raw almonds, skin on
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 7- by 11-inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
In a bowl, stir the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, coconut, flax seed meal and cinnamon. Transfer to a dry sheet tray and toast in the oven for 15 minutes [just until toasty brown]. Transfer to a bowl.
While dry ingredients toast, in a medium pot, add the honey, coconut oil and vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the honey turns a copper color, 12 to 15 minutes. [Some reviewers said less time. Use a candy theremometer and cook to 248 degrees].
Pour the honey into the center of the dry ingredients and fold until well coated with the honey mixture.
Pour onto the prepared baking pan. Pack down the ingredients [you can even use another pan and press the mixture down]. Bake for about 10 minutes; the middle may seem slightly sticky but it will cool nicely. Let cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Flip over, take off the parchment and cut into rectangles. Serve.
For other flavors (made for her kids’ preferences), make the following substitutions to the recipe above: Ruby (Cranberry): Omit the almonds and add an additional 1/4 cup dried cranberries. Nathan (Blueberry/Almond): Substitute the cranberries with dried blueberries. Enzo: (Cashew/Almond): Omit the cranberries and add 1/4 cup cashews to the dry ingredients. Ellie (Cashew/Date): Substitute the almonds with cashews and the cranberries with dried dates.
