Yummy Granola Bars
I finally found a recipe that I like! This granola recipe allows me to play around with yummy ingredients. Sometimes I make these with dried apricots and raisins, or almonds and peanuts, or I sometimes add flaxseeds, poppyseeds or sesame seeds. You can be very creative. I love adding the chocolate chipits but you can avoid the chocolate all together.
My 2 year old helps me mix this granola as well as ‘smash the nuts’ – I like using chopping nuts so my little one uses a big headed spoon and ‘smacks’ the nuts that are placed in a plastic ziploc baggie. Or you can roll the bagged nuts with a heavy rolling pin.
- 2 cups rolled oats (not instant oats)
- 1 cup chopped (‘smacked’) or whole peanuts
- 1/2 shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
- 1/2 cup raisins (or dried cranberries, yogurt covered raisins etc.)
- 1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds (or poppyseeds/sesame seeds etc.)
- 1/4 cup chopped (‘smacked’) or whole almonds
- optional: handful of chocolate chipits
Mix all this in a large mixing bowl.
In a small pot over medium-low heat:
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
Heat this mixture until melted.
Pour the melted mixture over the oat base and stir until blended.
Then stir in:
- 2 eggs
Mix well and press the granola into a prepared 9×11 pan (greased & lined with parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the sides of the pan).
Bake 25 minutes in a preheated 325 degree oven, cool then place in fridge to chill before cutting.
Lift granola out of pan with parchment paper and cut into bars.
Tags: coconut, granola, Granola Bars, nuts, oatmeal, peanut butter, picnic, raisins, snack, travel food