Home Made Granola Bars

     Well the summer brings beach days, picnics, and light eaters to our house. Because of that summer also tends to be a big "snack season". As long as I can get the right amount of nutrients into them I'm not going to be a huge stickler for meal times and huge portions through the summer. I get it, I don't want a big meal when it's 90 degrees either!

     One of our favorite bring-a-long snacks is home made granola bars. We played around with various recipes, as always, and ultimately settled on our own version. I must say too, that this is really due to the work of my hubby. He, now newly home more that he works at night and I work days, has really been rocking it on the domestic front. I am again reminded of why I married a chef. You know, minus the undying love junk.

     Ok, so here's the recipe. Feel free to make it your own.

Ingredients

1c oats
1/4c Vanilla Almond Special K cereal, crushed  (really any cereal will work here, it's all preference)
3tbsp oat flour (you can make your own by grinding 1/4c oats to a fine powder)
1/4tsp salt
1/4tsp baking soda
1tsp sugar
1/2tsp vanilla
2tbsp oil (veg, coconut, almond, whatever...we usually use veg because its always on hand)
3tbsp honey (or maple syrup)

     Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Mix all dry ingredients and all wet ingredients separately. Next combine together. Place un-greased parchment in a glass baking dish (we use a 7x5 dish). Firmly press the mixture into the dish. Use the bottom of a mixing cup or firm non-stick surface to pack mixture as firmly as possible.

     Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place dish on cooling rack to let cool fully. To speed this process slightly remove parchment and mixture together from the dish after about 30 minutes. Allow to sit on cooling rack until fully cooled. Once cooled cut into desired shape.

 

     We have a small coffee grinder that we use exclusively for spice grinding. We are sure to clean it after every use so spice profiles are able to stay true. This is one of those must have gadgets, it makes life so much easier. Here you can see us making our own oat flour. 1/4 cup oats ground took us about 30 seconds total. This is a way better option for us, rather than keeping oat flower on hand. Our kitchen is tiny and space is a major commodity. We don't use oat flour often enough to keep it on hand, taking up valuable kitchen space. This is simple and perfect.

 

 

 

 

     They have just the right amount of chew yet are still crunchy, sweet but not overly so, and can be varied in so many ways. Best of all they are a fraction of the cost of store bought granola bars. In reality they are often made of staple pantry items so they cost practically nothing. These always seem to accompany us to the beach or the playground. What's great is that it's a snack I love as much as the girls, win!

 

Happy snack packing!

 

Simple City Sam