Granola Bars

Ah, granola.  The rallying cry of the crunchy hippie; the perfect backpacking food; that which is somewhere between breakfast and dessert.  Yes, granola, you are truly an amazing thing.  And I have figured out your secrets.

It turns out granola bars are surprisingly easy to make, and also fun to customize.  In a nutshell, granola is typically a mixture of oats, nuts, dried fruit, and a binding agent, either shoved into bar form or allowed to form clusters, like peanut brittle.  I prefer bars, which seem easier to hold while moving.

My 'recipe' for granola bars is stolen from Alton Brown, but it has been modified more times than I care to count.  Like a good chili, granola is an olio of whatever grains and fruits I have on hand; tonight's version brings you a walnut strawberry granola, although I have also done a coconut, chocolate, berry granola.  I will keep the recipe generic enough that you can adapt, but specific enough that it still makes sense.

You will notice in my process that I use parchment paper to line my baking sheet.  What is parchment paper, you ask?  Well, I'll tell you.  Parchment paper is paper that has been infused with silicone, which is exactly what they make oven-safe, nonstick utensils and some bakeware out of.  So it's paper that can go in the oven, is nonstick, and cleans up like aluminum foil but with none of the Alzheimer's threat.  Hooray!

This recipe can be done using measuring spoons and cups, but it is greatly simplified if you have a digital scale.  That way, you can keep adding ingredients to your grain sheet and your liquid pot very quickly, without fiddling with implements.  I'd say you cut about 10 out of 15 minutes of hands-on labor out by using a scale.

This is my strawberry chocolate walnut granola bar.  There are many like it, but this one is mine.

Granola Bars

• 8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, appx 2 cups
• 1.5 ounces raw sunflower seeds, appx 1/2 cup
• 3 ounces sliced almonds, appx 1 cup
• 1.5 ounces wheat germ (do not toast), appx 1/2 cup
• 6 ounces honey, appx 1/2 cup
• 1.75 ounces dark brown sugar, appx 1/4 cup packed
• 1 ounce unsalted butter (2 tbsp)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract - the real stuff, avoid imitation if you can
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 6.5 ounces total chopped fruit and chocolate (preferably more fruit than chocolate)
• Parchment paper

Line a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.  Preheat over to 350 degrees F.

Parchment paper in a baking sheet.  I cut the edges so I can get a good square shape

Combine roughly 12 ounces of oats, seeds, and nuts on a half-sheet pan and spread out evenly.  Try to use roughly 8 ounces of oats, 4 ounces max of nuts, and 2-4 ounces of seeds, such as pumpkin or sunflower.  If using wheat germ, do not include these yet (they will burn).  Place sheet pan in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The full pan of grains.  I used walnuts instead of sunflower seeds, just because

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat.  The salt actually helps temper the sweetness of the rest of this mixture, bringing up the perceived balance in the flavors.  Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved, and be careful not to burn yourself with the resulting napalm-like solution.

Mmm, sugary goodness

The toasted grains, nuts, and seeds

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F.  If using chocolate chips, allow the oat mixture to cool slightly.  If not, immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit and wheat germ, and stir to combine.

Stir the liquid with the grains, fruit, and possible chocolate chips.  If using chocolate, act quickly or you will have a melted mess on your hands, which is tasty but not as attractive

Use wax paper and press down as hard as you can to compress the mixture into a thin sheet

Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, scoring bars to make slicing easier but not cutting all the way through, and allow to cool completely.  Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

A full sheet of granola bars before slicing.  I find that a pizza slicer works well while the bars are mostly but not fully cooled