• Homemade granola bars

    Posted on March 9th, 2009 Saver Queen 8 comments

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    Last weekend I decided to try making granola bars.

    For a while, Josh and I bought granola bars in large quantities when they were on sale for 20¢ a bar or less.  However, knowing that I could make my own granola bars for only 5¢ a bar, with the added benefits of improved taste and nutrition, put DIY granola bars on my top ten list of things to try.

    Extra incentive to try this was the fact that I already had many of the required items: honey, dried fruit (cranberries and dates) and sunflower seeds.  I was only missing the old fashioned rolled oats and dark brown sugar, which I figured could easily be used in other baked goods.  I also decided to purchase some dried apricots, rationalizing that the leftovers would be joyfully consumed whole, or in a homemade trail mix.

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    I followed the recipe provided below.  It was incredibly easy to do, and it would have been perfect, except for one critical feature.  The “old fashioned rolled oats” that I thought I was using turned out to be minute oats.  D’oh!

    Although the flavours were perfect, the bars did not stick together.  Minute oats absorb too much liquid, so the mixture was not sticky enough.

    Of course not wanting to let this tasty mixture go to waste, I crumbled it up.  Now it makes a delicious addition to yogurt.  It stores well in its air-tight container, and provides instant protein and nutrition to a morning or afternoon snack.

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    If you want to make the granola bars, follow the recipe – just make sure to use old fashioned rolled oats!  i will definitely try this one again.

    Alton Brown’s Granola Bars

    8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups

     1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, approximately 1/2 cup

    3 ounces sliced almonds, approximately 1 cup

    1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup

    6 ounces honey, approximately 1/2 cup

    1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup packed

    1-ounce unsalted butter, 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. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container and store for up to a week.

    The Saver Queen

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    8 responses to “Homemade granola bars”

    1. Diana March 9th, 2009 at 07:22

      I’ve been thinking about trying this recipe of his. Good to know about the oats. You should check out the cherry walnut bars by Ellie Krieger. I made those awhile back, subbing cranberries, and they came out great! :)

    2. sharon rose March 9th, 2009 at 12:59

      Hi there-these sound delicious and definitely worth trying!

    3. dinah March 9th, 2009 at 21:26

      i have been wanting to try making my own granola bars for a long time now. my kid is addicted to granola bars…and i know the boxes ones are not the best for him.

      thanks for the recipe!

    4. Katie March 10th, 2009 at 13:00

      I love making granola bars to. I find they can be tricky so I have defiantly learned my lesson through many “crumbled” attempts.

    5. FruGal March 12th, 2009 at 12:42

      Hey, nice site! Just been having a nose around. I’m a sucker for a frugal recipe, so will have to give this one a go. Will add you to my regular reads! :)

    6. Cutting your grocery bill in half (Part three): Q&A @ Saver Queen May 1st, 2009 at 12:45

      [...] The granola bar recipe can be found on my blog.  This recipe did not work out as intended on my first try, because I accidentally used minute oats, instead of old fashioned rolled oats. I made the switch recently and tried it again – and they came out great!  Don’t they look yummy? I wrapped them individually in plastic.  Not very environmentally friendly but I couldn’t think of a better way to have them prepared for on the go snacking. (Any suggestions?) [...]

    7. Emily May 6th, 2009 at 10:47

      I tried this recipe on the weekend and it was a huge success! I am enjoying these granola bars so much this week. I was also able to scrap the leftover bits out of the pan as the recommended topping for yogurt! I used dried cranberries and blueberries.

    8. Saver Queen May 6th, 2009 at 11:03

      I”m so glad the recipe worked for you! Josh really enjoyed the second batch I made as well. The best part is, they are healthy and you know what’s in them!

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