Make Your Own Granola Bars

If you are anything like our house, we spend a lot of  money on granola bars.  It's the perfect go-to travel snack (well, except the crumb factor in the car with some).  But, a lot of store bought granola bars are really high in sugar.  I originally found this recipe on All Recipes -  Playgroup Granola Bars.  I tweaked it a little for my kids to make them a little healthier. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar  (you can substitute applesauce, or just reduce the amount of brown sugar - I reduced it to about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup raisins or dried blueberries / cherries / cranberries / chocolate chips / walnut pieces/ slivered almonds, etc (optional)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil  (or canola oil)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

•  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.  

• In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins (or whatever fruit/chocolate chips you choose) and salt.  

• Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla (and applesauce if you're using it)

• Here is the fun part - or the part you can make your kids do if you don't like getting your hands in squishy things.  Mix well using your hands. 

•  Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Leave about an inch or two at one end of the pan - the mixture won't spread while it's baking but by doing this the bars will be chewy.

• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut. 

 

 And that's it!  So easy and fun to make with your kids.  I put mine in a ziploc bag and they stay fresh for oh...a day or two (that's about how long it takes us to eat a batch :)  )