I love all the potential health benefits of a good granola bar but it's hard to find everything I'm hoping for in one granola bar. Bars I've bought in stores seem to range from glorified rice crispy treats (Special K bar anyone?) to teeth-breaking sawdust bricks. Well I want a lot in the perfect granola bar; it's a balancing act of chewy and crunch, sweet but not toothache sweet, and of course ingredients that pack a healthy punch and taste great.
So I decided to make my own granola bars. How hard could it be right? I did a quick internet search of granola bar recipes and found that the basic ingredients and process are mostly the same so I decided to make up my own recipe with what I had available. What I ended up with wasn't exactly what I planned (I was aiming for chocolate chip but I added the chips too soon and they melted) but they are no doubt yummy, solid granola bars!
Chocolaty Granola Bars: Makes ~162 1/2 cups oat fashioned oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tbs vanilla
1/3 c honey
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c butter
1 c chocolate chips
Toss together oats, nuts, and vanilla on a rimmed cookie sheet. Toast in the oven at 350 F for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile measure out honey, sugar, and butter into a small sauce pan. Melt over low-medium heat, stirring to combine. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Press the combined mixture into a greased glass baking dish. I used 2 8x8 dishes and got 16 bars. Chill in the refrigerator before cutting.
I'll definitely continue experimenting with more granola recipes. They make a great, fast, healthy snack on the go making them perfect for this breastfeeding new mama!