Granola "Bars"
- For the most part, we try to get organic ingredients when we can. Sometimes it just isn't possible, so we try to be discerning about the ingredients we do use.
- These are supposed to come out as "bars", but "chunks" or "a baggy of granola" is probably more accurate. We are going to try to acquire one of those divided baking trays so they'll be preformed as seperate "bars".
Ingredients:
- 2.5 cups Whole Grain, Thick, Rolled Oats
- 1/2 cup Flax Seed
- 1 cup Shredded Coconut
- 1/2 cup Raw Sunflower Seeds
- 1/4 cup Sesame Seeds
- 1/2 cup Wheat Germ
- 1/2 cup Slivered Almonds
- 4 Tablespoons Organic Non-Salted Butter
- 1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1/2 cup Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter
- 1 cup Dried Fruits (figs, dates, apricots, raisins, etc.)
- 2 tsp. Organic Vanilla Extract
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Combine all dry ingredients (except dried fruits) on a baking sheet. Spread out evenly and bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, heat the butter, brown sugar, honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan, allowing it to simmer until the dried ingredients are out of the oven.
As soon as the dried ingredients are taken out of the oven, add the dried fruit and mix it in.
Now remove the honey mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Then pour the mixture over the dried ingredients and stir until all ingredients are coated evenly.
Press the granola firmly into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan and place in the oven @ 300 degrees for 20 minutes.
Let set until cool if you wish to cut into bars. Otherwise, if to be used as a granola topping, break it up now so it doesn't settle into big chunks.
Optional: Add 8 oz. of Dark Organic Chocolate to the final mixture just before pressing into the pan. This adds an obvious sweet taste to the recipe, but also helps to hold the "bars" together.