Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Perfect Granola Bars



Granola bars are one of the things I hate buying at the store, because I know I can make them so much cheaper & yummier at home. I sometimes buy them still for convenience, but I love it when I can make them at home. This is my favorite granola bar recipe. (Originally found here)

(Update- for another equally delicious, yet different, granola bar- here is another one I love.)

Perfect Granola Bars

1/2 cup and 1/3 cup butter, softened (13 1/3 tbsp.)
1/2 cup honey (6 oz.)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup brown sugar (2.7 oz.)
4 1/2 cups oats (15 oz.)
1 cup whole wheat flour (4 1/2 oz.), or all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup add-ins (i.e. chocolate chips, cranberries, etc.)

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl (or stand mixer). Press into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 325ยบ for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack; gently press down on bars after baking to flatten (I use a small, flat cutting board to press down on them). Cut into 24 bars (4 by 6). Store in an airtight container.

*A variation done by a friend: "I made them last night with dried cranberries, slivered almonds, and drizzled the top with white chocolate." I can't wait to try them this way! Thanks for the idea, Sara!

Why I love it? Even though they probably have more calories than the Quaker ones (because of the real butter!), I love that I know exactly what goes in these granola bars. You don't want HFCS, preservatives, stuff like that? No problem. They taste delicious, and are a quick snack we all enjoy.

Tip: You might notice on my blog that I often give weights for the ingredients. That's because weighing is the primary way I measure my ingredients. Not only is it more accurate, but I find it easier! I just set the mixing bowl on my small kitchen scale, and add the ingredients that way. It's really helpful for things like honey. I don't have to worry about scraping honey out of a measuring cup, and it gives me less dishes to wash!

8 comments:

  1. I can't wait to try these! I'm out of honey though. :( I'll have to try in a couple of weeks. :)

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  2. Sounds yummy! I'm going to have to try these! Great idea about the scale. I never thought of that.

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  3. This looks exactly like my granola bar recipe! I love these!

    http://onelittlewordsheknew.blogspot.com/2009/05/perfect-granola-bars.html

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  4. Christy, you're right! Thank you for posting that! I printed the recipe, but didn't remember where I got it. I'll add that to my post. :)

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  5. Thanks for the link. I probably shared it on diaperswappers (which is also where I saw your blog link). No worries. ;)

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  6. have these in the oven right now...I'm nervous because it was all crumbly, but hopefully they turn out!

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  7. any ideas on why mine came out very crumbly? it tastes great but its more like loose granola not chewy bars :(

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  8. Anna, I'm sorry these were crumbly for you! Did you press down on them after they came out of the oven? Maybe that's it. I use a small cutting board to press on mine. I think that helps to compact them. My only other guess is about the butter- if it was melted (instead of softened), that might affect it.

    I made these again the other day, and they turned out fine. After a couple days they were a little more crumbly (they still held together as a bar), just pieces would crumble as you ate it. Let me know if you have any other questions, or if you figure out what made them crumbly. I'm curious!

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