Granola Bars

I love these granola bars! They are thick and chewy and a great on-the-go breakfast!

GRANOLA BARS
This recipe is adapted from a King’s Arthur Flour recipe.

Note
This is a very flexible recipe. You can add any variety of fruits, nuts, or seeds to it.

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats (or opt to use gluten free oats)
1/3 cup quick rolled oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
2-3 cups dried fruits and nuts
1/3 cup peanut butter or almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
6 Tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon water

Suggestions for fruit/nuts to put into recipe
Dried Fruit: cranberries, cherries, apricots, apples
Nuts: pecans, walnuts
Seeds: sunflower seeds, sesame seeds
Powders: wheat germ
Other: coconut, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8x2 pan with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry (and peanut butter, if you’re using it) until the mixture is evenly crumbly.

Spread in the prepared pan, pressing firmly to ensure the granola is molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)

Bake the bars for 30-40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges. They may seem under-baked, but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool. Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. Then, chill in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Use a serrated knife to cut the bars into squares. (Chilling in the freezer helps to further set the bars and aid in the process of cutting them without creating crumbly bars.)

To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.