Chewy Granola Bars

Quaker Granola Bars - Move Over. You got nothin' on these babies.

I've been wanting to make my own granola bars for quite awhile. I've seen several recipes and tried one (too crumbly), but this one caught my eye in particular because of the coconut oil. I found it on this blog. I modified it a little and couldn't be happier with the results! These are chewy, hold together very well, extremely tasty, and filling to boot. Everyone in the family loves them. I'm sure they're higher in calories than the Quaker ones I have normally bought, but all the ingredients are natural and healthy and I feel so much better about feeding them to my family. I'm looking forward to trying them with some other add-ins, like the chocolate chips and nuts, maybe even some peanut butter. These will become a staple at our house. No doubt.

Recipe:

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)

1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 9×13 baking dish. Mix together first 7 ingredients, then make a well in the center and add the honey, beaten egg, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add in the raisins, cranberries, coconut, and/or any other mix-ins you desire. Pat the mixture evenly into the baking dish.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are beginning to turn golden. Cool for 5 minutes and then cut into bars and remove from dish WHILE STILL WARM.

Some substitutions: Olive or peanut oil rather than coconut oil. Regular flour. Add any dried fruit, coconut shavings, sunflower seeds, nuts or even chocolate chips..

Quaker Granola Bars - Move Over. You got nothin' on these babies.

I've been wanting to make my own granola bars for quite awhile. I've seen several recipes and tried one (too crumbly), but this one caught my eye in particular because of the coconut oil. I found it on this blog. I modified it a little and couldn't be happier with the results! These are chewy, hold together very well, extremely tasty, and filling to boot. Everyone in the family loves them. I'm sure they're higher in calories than the Quaker ones I have normally bought, but all the ingredients are natural and healthy and I feel so much better about feeding them to my family. I'm looking forward to trying them with some other add-ins, like the chocolate chips and nuts, maybe even some peanut butter. These will become a staple at our house. No doubt.

Recipe:

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)

1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 9×13 baking dish. Mix together first 7 ingredients, then make a well in the center and add the honey, beaten egg, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add in the raisins, cranberries, coconut, and/or any other mix-ins you desire. Pat the mixture evenly into the baking dish.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are beginning to turn golden. Cool for 5 minutes and then cut into bars and remove from dish WHILE STILL WARM.

Some substitutions: Olive or peanut oil rather than coconut oil. Regular flour. Add any dried fruit, coconut shavings, sunflower seeds, nuts or even chocolate chips..