Homemade Granola Bars ... First time for the First Post!

I have always loved cooking. Wait, that is not really true. I liked cooking when I got married, but it was really a chore. While I was teaching, it satisfied our hunger. Now, I truly LOVE to cook and make healthy food for my family and friends. I have tried to change our eating habits in the house. Not to say that all we eat is good for you, but if we make it at home I want it to have some sort of nutritional value.

So, all that said, I love to snack. I love to eat snacks. I could eat snacks all day and never have a meal. So I decided to try to make granola bars. It was just a trial that ended really well. I just can't make them, or have them around all the time. Darn temptation.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. I took two recipes and changed the ingredients and methods to gain what worked for us. I hope you decide to try them for your family!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups oats
• 3/4 cup wheat germ (I added ground flaxseed instead)
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 4 tsp of pumpkin and sunflower seeds, 1 tbsp of millet (or use all sunflower seeds, just whatever is around)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (or any nuts you like)
• 2/3 cup brown sugar (I used sucanat)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 Tbsp butter (I used coconut oil and some canola, this gave it a chewier texture, the butter made a crunchier bar)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• approximately 8 oz. dried fruit (raisins, craisins, etc.)
• 1 tsp of cinnamon, optional

Directions:
1. Mix the nuts, oats, wheat germ, seeds in a baking dish with sides. Toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they don’t get burned.

2. Prepare a glass baking dish (about 11 x 13 inches) for your granola by lining it with waxed paper lightly sprayed with a nonstick spray.

3. Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.

4. By now, your grains and nuts should be toasted, so mix everything together in a large bowl. The grains, the liquid and the dried fruit.

5. Pour the mixture into the lined pan and press together. It helps if you put a piece of wax paper on the top and press it down. Let it sit on the counter to cool for a couple of hours. Then turn it out onto a cutting board and cut into large or small pieces. You can wrap them individually, or put them in an airtight container.

              

And now they are done!  Enjoy!

Happy Baking!