Granola Bar recipe

This was the easiest way to get this recipe out there.  I can't take credit for the recipe.   A friend from Minnesota gave it to me. 

Homemade Granola Bars

2 cups rolled oats

¾ cup packed brown sugar (or just ½)

½ cup wheat germ (I used ¼ cup flour and ¼ cup oats)

¾ tsp cinnamon

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup raisins or chocolate chips

¾ tsp salt

½ cup honey

1 egg, beaten

½ cup vegetable oil or butter

2 tsp vanilla

1.     preheat oven to 350. Generously grease a 9x13 pan. (I used a 9x9 because I wanted them to be thicker.  You can use a 9x13 when you double the recipe. )

2.     in a large bowl mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins, and salt.  Make a well in the center and pour in honey, egg, oil, and vanilla.  Mix well using hands. Pat mixture evenly into prepared pan.

3.     Bake for 30 to 35 minutes for crunchy, 15-18 minutes for chewy, until bars begin to turn golden at edge.  Cool for 5 minutes and then cut into bars while still warm.  If allowed to cool they will be too hard to cut. 

Recipe tips:

I alter this recipe to make many variations.  Feel free to play around to find a combination you like.  You can add peanut butter, chocolate chips or both, dried apples, craisins and white chocolate chips.  I do suggest omitting cinnamon with some combinations.

Rebecca Walton:

I added about a ¼ cup peanut butter and some chocolate chips and it was really good.  Like it says, just paly around with them.  Cook them as long as you want to get the consistency you want.  I wanted chewy ones, so I only did the 18 minutes.  Also, because there are no preservatives they will go rancid in about 4-5 days.  Store them in the freezer and take out as needed.  They thaw well.  I got this recipe from a mom of one of my kiddos’s that I treat.  She stores them in the freezer and I’ve had many of hers!!  She quadruples the recipe because they eat so many of them.  She uses whole-wheat flour and coconut oil and actually doesn’t put the sugar in them, only the honey.