Granola bars make me angry. It is constantly hammered into our brains that eating oats is ideal as part of a healthy diet, making kids, and the grownups who force them, eat bowl after bowl of yummy gruel-like porridge as our breakfast. I happen to not be one of those who feels forced, I actually really enjoy my oatmeal breakfast, but it can be said that a fair amount of people consider a bowl of oatmeal to start the day as a good meal; for a horse. Yet, they endure, forcing the slop between their reluctantly parted lips, saying to themselves, healthy healthy healthy!
When the invention of granola and granola bars came along, shoppers flocked to their nearest store, in hopes of obtaining the oat health factor in a package that tasted like dessert. Now that there was a way to eat oats without having to bribe your child, or force it down in gulpfuls, chased by sugared coffee or orange juice, everyone forgot about the virtue of a bowl of oatmeal to start your day. But we all forgot to read the labels now, didn’t we? An average granola bar contains sugar, high fructose corn syrup and more high fructose corn syrup. Yes, it still has the oats which we all need in our diet, but they are completely overshadowed by the artificial ingredients that make up the majority of the product. So an average person is possibly under the impression that they are making a smart food choice by consuming granola bars, when in fact they may not know the hidden ingredients that aren’t such a good choice. Hence, my anger.
Homemade granola bars were my way of venting my frustration with commercial products. I made them out of spite and discovered that they were so delicious and easy to make, there was no way I could be angry with the granola bar any longer. As long as I made them my way. The Barefoot Contessa gave me the basic idea; from there I expanded to make it my own. These bars are full of yummy dried fruit, heart healthy oats, almonds and flax and local honey in place of corn syrup. They still have sugar in them, don’t get me wrong, but I tried to keep in minimal, and they really don’t need much. Store bought granola bars; eat your heart out.
Granola Bars That Don't Make Me Angry
1 ½ cup old-fashioned oats
¾ cup sliced or slivered almonds
¾ cup shredded coconut
¼ cup flax meal
2 Tbs unsalted butter
½ cup plus 2 Tbs honey
2 Tbs canola oil
¼ cup brown sugar
Kosher salt
½ cup chopped dried apricots
½ cup chopped dried cherries
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup cocoa nibs (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350. Lay a piece of parchment into a 8x8 baking dish and press into corners.
Combine the oats, almonds and coconut and spread onto the baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, shaking the pan once, until light golden in color. Remove from oven, pour into a large bowl and mix in the flax meal. Set aside.
Lower oven to 300 degrees. In a small sauce pan, combine butter, honey, canola oil and brown sugar and bring to a low boil. Cook a minute or two then pour over the oat mixture and stir to combine. Add the fruits, cocoa nibs and a pinch of salt and mix well. Pour into prepared pan and using your hands, press the mixture down into the pan so that it is evenly distributed. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool in pan for 2 hours, and then remove using parchment as handles. Cut into bars or crumble to make granola. Store in an airtight container for several days. Makes around 10-12 bars.
Note- this recipe is easily double, simply use a large rimmed baking sheet instead of an 8x8 dish.
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