I never ever thought I would make granola bars. There a tons of agreeable varieties on the shelves at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Shaws…hell, even Food Emporium (whom I loathed in NYC) had a decent selection. They aren’t very expensive so picking up a few different types is never a problem. So I think I shocked even myself when I decided to whip up a batch this week (ok, it was actually because I didn’t have buttermilk in the house to make a chocolate cake).
My apartment smelled delicious though; warm honey, cinnamon and toasted oats make for a nice combination of scents when it’s chilly outside! And then, I pulled the ultimate rookie move. I burned them. Sigh. That will teach me for attempting to write a cover letter, gchat with a team member and tweet all while attempting to make these! The ones on the edge of the pan are pretty unbearable, but the inner ones aren’t too bad. In fact, the top half are actually quite tasty. I will need to make a second attempt because I know their potential goodness. I will also need to start buying rolled oats in bulk if that is the case, 7 cups is a lot of whole grain!
Granola Bars
- 7 c rolled oats (NOT quick-cooking oats)
- 1/2 c vegetable oil
- 1/2 tspn salt
- 3/4 c honey
- 3/4 c packed light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tspn cinnamon
- 1 1/2 c coarsely chopped nuts (I used sunflower nuts, almonds and added dried cranberries)
- Pre-heat the oven to 375°F
- Toss oil, oats and salt together and put on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven, stirring frequently ~20-25 minutes
- Cook honey and brown sugar in a sauce-pan over medium-heat to melt the sugar. Add the extract and cinnamon then set aside
- Remove the oats from the oven and lower the temperature to 300°F. Toss the oats with the honey mixture and nuts
- Line a 12×18 baking sheet with foil and coat with a vegetable spray. Spread the mixture onto the pan and pack tightly and evenly
- Bake until golden, 34-40 minutes
- Cook on a wire rack for ~15 minutes then cut into 2×3 inch bars in the pan. Let cool completely before removing from the pan
- Because I think everything tastes better with chocolate, I melted some semi-sweet chips and drizzled over the bars prior to removing them from the pan (which also helped with the burn taste)
Source: The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
