For years, I considered granola bars the work of Clif and Luna; not me. But they're as easy to make as Rice Crispy Treats. Sure there are few more ingredients to buy and you need to toast the dry foods before tossing them into your sticky mixture. But that’s it!
I still buy store-bought granola bars because they’re convenient, especially when traveling. But for a dollar, sometimes more, each, they add up. Not too mentioned, I find most overly sweet and oftentimes artificial tasting.
By making your own, you have control. You can adjust the flavors, swap the sweetener from rice syrup to honey or agave, and add less or more of it. You can eliminate some of the more esoteric ingredients like flaxseed meal, wheat germ, and coconut, and stick to a plainer bar. The possibilities are many.
Here are two recipes to start with:
Cherry Power Bars
I like 18 Rabbits’ figs and cherry bar, but I knew it could be even better. This chewy dried cherry bar has a nice balance between tart and sweet. Plus with all that wheat germ and flax seed, as well as oats and nuts, it’ll power you through the day.
Nutritional information: Serving Size 1 Bar (1.9 oz/56g), Calories 225, Total Fat 9.1g, Saturated Fat 2.1g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 3.1mg, Sodium 74mg, Total Carb 42.9g, Fiber 5.1g, Sugars 16.5g, Protein 5.1g. (Nutritional information was calculated via SparkRecipes’ Recipe Calculator.)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for coating the pan
2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
½ cup raw sliced almonds
½ cup raw walnut halves, finely chopped
¼ cup raw wheat germ
2 tablespoons unsweetened, untoasted, dried coconut flakes
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
¼ cup honey
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ plus 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
¾ cup dried, pitted cherries (about 4 ounces), finely chopped
1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with butter; set aside.
2. Place oats, almonds, walnuts, wheat germ, coconut, and flax seed meal on a rimmed baking sheet, toss with your hands to combine, and spread in an even layer. Bake, stirring halfway through, until walnuts are light golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.
3. Place honey, brown sugar, measured butter, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and stir until mixture is smooth and combined and brown sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and immediately add oat-nut mixture and cherries to the saucepan, stirring until combined. Transfer to the prepared baking pan, spreading the mixture evenly with a spoon.
4. When the mixture is cool enough to handle but is still warm, dip your hands in water to prevent sticking and press the mixture evenly and firmly into the pan. Bake until aromatic, about 10 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Remove the granola slab from the pan. Cut it in half to form two rectangles, then cut each rectangle widthwise into 5 bars to form 10 bars total. Wrap each bar in parchment or wax paper or plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze in a sealed plastic bag for up to 3 weeks; let frozen bars come to room temperature before eating. Makes 10 bars. –Jill Santopietro for CHOW.com.
Chocolate Victory Bars
I started experimenting with this recipe when news of salmonella-tainted peanut butter broke in October 2009 and my favorite energy bars, Luna Nutz Over Chocolate, were pulled from grocery stores. Think of these fairly nutritious peanut-chocolate bars as less of a diet food and more of a healthy candy bar.
Nutritional information: Serving Size 1 Bar (1.8oz/52g), Calories 218, Total Fat 8.5g, Saturated Fat 2.4g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0.8mg, Sodium 122mg, Total Carb 37.7g, Fiber 3.9g, Sugars 13.7g, Protein 4.8g. (Nutritional information was calculated via SparkRecipes’ Recipe Calculator.)
Oil, for coating the pan
1½ cups crispy brown rice cereal
1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
½ cup raw sliced almonds
¼ cup raw wheat germ
2 tablespoons unsweetened, untoasted, dried coconut flakes
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
½ cup brown rice syrup
3 tablespoons natural smooth unsalted peanut butter
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ plus 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
1/3 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with butter; set aside.
2. Place rice cereal, oats, almonds, wheat germ, coconut, and flax seed meal on a rimmed baking sheet, toss with your hands to combine, and spread in an even layer. Bake, stirring halfway through, until almonds are light golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.
3. Place rice syrup, peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until mixture is combined and brown sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, immediately add cereal mixture, and stir until combined. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking pan and, using a spoon, spread it evenly, pushing it into the corners.
4. When the mixture is cool enough to handle but is still warm, evenly and firmly press it into the pan with your hands. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and place in the oven. Bake until the chips start to melt, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using a table knife or offset spatula, spread the chocolate into an even layer. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then place it in the refrigerator until the chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.
5. Remove the nutty oat slab from the pan (you may need to run a knife around the perimeter to loosen it). Cut it in half to form two rectangles, then cut each rectangle widthwise into 5 bars to form 10 bars total. Wrap each bar in either parchment or wax paper or plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze in a sealed plastic bag for up to 3 weeks; let frozen bars come to room temperature before eating. Makes 10 bars. –Jill Santopietro for CHOW.com.
NOTE: you can eliminate the chocolate coating, and simply fold some chocolate chips in after the final mixture has cooled down slightly and before pressing into the pan.