Homemade Granola Bars #1

I don't know about you, but there are certain things that I always buy at the store and would never bother making on my own. One of these things is one of my favorite snacks, granola bars. So I decided to start a "Homemade" series; I'm going to try making things I always buy at the store. Since I've never done this before, I'll be adjusting other recipes I've found.

To kick off the series, I tried out 2 granola bar recipes. Here's the first one that I found from the Food Network, I think these ones are fairly similar to Kashi Chewy Granola Bars:

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

2/3 cup honey

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup raisins

3/4 cup craisins (dried cranberries)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan and line it with parchment paper.

2. Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a separate sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Stir occasionally, until lightly browned. 

3. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in wheat germ.

4. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

5. Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture.

6. Add the raisins and craisins and stir well.

7. Pour the mixture into the 9x13 pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan.

8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature. 

Emily's Thoughts

I made this recipe at my parents' and my whole family ate them up. The bars didn't hold their shape perfectly, but they still tasted really good! The other great thing about this recipe is that you can change it around a little if you want. Don't like coconut or almonds? Use other types of nuts. Want to add dates and apricots? Adjust the amount of raisins and craisins or just replace them all together. And this is really easy! I think I'll start making my own granola bars more often.

Recipe adapted from the Barefoot Contessa.