granola bars

Finally. Finally. I have stumbled across a granola bar recipe that is healthy, tasty, and stays together. I've tried a few others here and there, and they fall apart like me reading Where the Red Fern Grows. We have a great loose granola recipe we use, but sometimes you need it in handy bar form. 'Maybe,' I though, 'just maybe, this is the one' when I saw this recipe from Little Birdie Secrets . Oh, and it is!

Here's her recipe with the changes we made in parentheses:

Granola Bars (makes about 24 plus extra for nibbling)

2 c oats
3/4 c wheat germ (we also threw in some flax seed meal)
3/4 c sunflower seeds
1 c. chopped nuts (we used sliced almonds)
2/3 c brown sugar (I used a bit less)
1/2 c honey (get it local if you are having some allergy issues for sure!)
4 T butter (or peanut butter- that's what we did)
2 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
8 oz. dried fruit (we used raisins and dried apples)
optional- mini chocolate chips

Toast oats, wheat germ, seeds and nuts in the oven. I think we set the oven for about 250 degrees and left it in the oven on a cookie sheet for about 20 minutes (just while we worked on the rest of the bars). Bring the sugar, butter and honey to a gentle boil. Add vanilla and salt and remove from heat. Pour all ingredients in a large bowl and stir it all up. Press firmly into a parchment paper lined 9x13 pan. If adding chocolate chips, press into the top at this point. We used chopped up Easter chocolate and the pieces just melted over the top of the bars but were still good. When cooled, lift paper out and slice into bar shapes. Wrap each in plastic wrap or parchment paper. We did some in glad press and seal and then ran out and tied the rest in parchment paper and string. We kick it old school here.



I threw ours in the fridge and it really helped them stay firm. Next time we will not use the apple pieces, it made some parts harder to cut straight. These make such a hardy snack and can be made to your liking. This recipe is a keeper for sure!

Lou helped me eat up the leftover crumbs and broken parts. I didn't notice it until this picture, but good grief his hair is getting long enough for another trim. What I wouldn't give for a head of those blond locks!