Power packed, fruity and nutty. Better than store-bought granola bars. Use any kind of dried fruit e.g. - chopped dates, chopped apricots, chopped prunes, etc.
Fantastic granola bars, and fairly easy to make. I suggest that you flatten in into the pan ASAP when it's finished cooking, otherwise they end up falling apart at the drop of a hat. I've made it with various combinations of dried fruit.
Read MoreFantastic granola bars, and fairly easy to make. I suggest that you flatten in into the pan ASAP when it's finished cooking, otherwise they end up falling apart at the drop of a hat. I've made it with various combinations of dried fruit.
We really enjoyed this recipe....as granola. I couldn't get the bars to stay together, so I just dumped it all into a Tupperware canister and used it as cereal in the morning. It had a great flavor (I used dried cranberries instead of the cherries and dates, and I added walnuts). I've made it twice.
I modified these alot, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 molassess, so its not as sweet. Then 2 cups oats, 1 cup sliced almonds, 1/2 cup wheat bran, 1/2 cup flaxseed, 1/2 cup raw sunflower seed, 1/2 cup textured veggie protein, 1 cup dried goji, 1/2 cup craisins. definitely simmer longer to help get tehm to stick together. easy to make and proabbly even btter with more practise.
These are pretty good. My 5 yr.old was able to help make them and he seems to like them, and that was what I was going for. The only thing that I would change is to use less wheat germ next time. They taste very "germy" to me. I also added some flax seed along with the sesame seeds, which were toasted.
These tasted good. They taste healthy. I had a hard time guadging doneness. First batch was underdone and chewy (I preferred them this way), they were also very crumbly and didn't "serve" well. The next batch I cooked longer, hoping for a crisper bar that served nicely. They were a little too crispy, but still okay. It was fun to try, not the conventional way to make a cookie/bar.
Excellent recipe! I uploaded the picture of the bars prior to cutting them. I am a "clean" eater so I, of course, made some modifications. Instead of butter I used Smart Balance Light, I swapped the honey for agave nectar and the brown sugar for sugar in the raw. I also added 1/2 cup of flax meal and only used dried cherries and cranberries because that is what I had on hand.
These are amazingly delicious granola bars although they are more like a dessert than a snack. If I could figure out how to make them healthier I would make them again in an instant.
I am on a gluten-free diet so I used GF oats. I pretty much stuck to the recipe, except I substituted Corn Syrup for the honey, only because I didn't have enough honey on hand. I added toasted coconut, left out the wheat germ (can't have it) increased the sesame seeds, and added sunflower seeds. Used Craisens and raisens and almond slices. They are still cooling, but I snitched a bite and they taste great. Not sure if they're going to stick together properly, but they're just for me, so I'm not terribly concerned. (Hubby can have some, too, if he likes! LOL)
We played around with this from the start, used dried pinapple, coconut, macadamia nuts and dried appricots. Replaced sesame seeds with sunflower seeds. A tad too sweet due to the pineapple being sweetened. Wouldn't do that again. Also cut portions in half as calories were too high for one serving and twelve bars were HUGE. Looking forward to playing with it some more. But a good basis for certain. Chewey, not hard.
Jackpot. Exactly what i was looking for...something to grab in the morning and take to school that will be nutritious and tasty. I also substituted 1/4 c. molasses for 1/4c. honey and added other nuts (flax seed, sunflower seeds) and different dried fruits (dates and prunes were on hand). Next time I will only use 1/2 c. brown sugar to make a little less sweet. Had no problem getting them to stick together.
Instead of the different types of fruits, I used 1 3/4 cups of chopped dried apricots. Absolutely delicious even though I made the mistake of adding them before the 15 minute stir/cook instead of after. I'm gonna make these all the time now! Thanks!
Left out sesame seeds because family member can't chew them. Substituted cranberries and mini chocolate chips for raisins and dates. Pressed the choc chips into the top of the bars before scoring. Yummy cherry chocolate flavor. Couldn't taste the cranberries so I will leave them out next time and add some more cherries. The bars did not stick together well, but who cares!
Love this. And so do my children! I cut the brown sugar in half and feel it is still on the sweet side. I have made several different combinations of nuts and dried fruit (a lot of which I dehydrate myself). Apples and almonds. Bananas and peanuts. Cranberry and almond. Raisins and pecans. I put them in a cupcake tray with wrappers for an easy grab and go snack.
I tried to modify it because there was too much sugar. Came out all wrong, did not turn out as bars.
We all liked these and prefer them to purchased granola bars. I started with the brown sugar, honey, water, salt, butter and oats and added craisins, raisins, pecans, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds. When they were done baking and cooling they were still too soft to handle, so I left them in the pan overnight. The next day they were much firmer and easier to handle, though still not at all crispy or crunchy. I wrapped each bar in waxed paper and stored them in a ziploc freezer bag. They're more than a week old now and still just as good as the first day... nice, chewy granola bars.
I read the reviews before making this, and decided to eliminate the brown sugar altogether as it sounded way too sweet for granola. I used about a 1/4 c honey and 1/4 c molasses instead. I didn't have any wheat germ so I left that out, but added a little more water when I was mixing it all together to get it to stay together better. With these modifications, I think it turned out great, not too sweet, perfectly moist and the kids love them!
Turned into a great snack. They don't hold together really well but I put spoonfuls into mini muffin pans to make individual treats. Very sweet!
Mine didn't hold it's shape. Good taste but just loose sticky granola pieces, not bars.
Yummy!! I wanted more nuts and didn't have the dried fruit except for raisins so I added sunflower seeds, walnuts and flax seed. I put a dash of cinnamon in too. Wow, easy to make, I put them in the fridge and they stick together just fine. Better than the stores.
Swapped wheat germ with milled flax seed. Also dropped almonds and sesame seeds (school safe) and added more fruit and Rice Crispies for crunch.
