Mindy's Chewy Granola Bars
Is it cheating if I cook everything Mindy writes about and then post my adventure here?
Yes, yes it is.
Is that going to stop me?
Of course not.
I had been wanting to figure out a good granola bar recipe for a while. Mindy posted one before I ever really got started. I'm OK with that. I've made granola bars using her guidelines three or four times now and each time the result has been the same--FANTASTIC.
It's a little expensive to make a batch, but you end up with at least 24 good-sized granola bars. If you do the math, you'll find that the per bar cost is actually less than similar granola bars you'll find in grocery stores. As a bonus, they are free of high fructose corn syrup. In fact, nutritionally they aren't exactly terrible and they are a great source of protein and iron. I'd say those few things alone make them worth the effort. The option to customize the flavors is just a bonus.
The batch in the photographs is pretty much the exact recipe that Mindy posted, but I have tinkered fairly significantly at times. The key is to stick with the same overall quantities that she suggested. What I mean by that is that she recommends 2 total cups of seeds, 2 total cups of nuts, and 2 cups of dried fruit. You can get to those totals any way that you want. One of my batches was my "bargain" batch. It contained sunflower seeds, peanuts, and raisins. Another batch was "tropical" and included dried pineapple, mango, and coconut. Alexis was a HUGE fan of that batch, but really she's happy with whatever I give her.
Mindy's Chewy Granola Bars
2 cups rolled oats (I use Quaker Quick Oats)
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup roasted salted pumpkin seeds
1 cup crushed salted cashews
1 cup crushed whole almonds
3 cups puffed rice cereal (Rice Krispies or similar)
2 cups dried fruit (the batch pictured was 1 cup dried cherries and 1 cup of raisins)
16 oz honey
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the oats, wheat germ, seeds, and nuts on a large cookie sheet. Mix and spread out. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes, stir, and then bake for another 8 minutes.
3. Place the puffed rice cereal and dried fruit in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the nut mixture from step 2 and stir some more.
4. In a large saucepan, combine the honey, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and butter over medium heat, stirring constantly until the brown sugar is completely dissolved.
5. Pour the honey mixture over the cereal/fruit/nuts and gently stir with a large spoon or spatula. You're done when everything is well coated.
6. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spread the granola bar mixture over the parchment and press until the yummy stuff is spread evenly. It's up to you how dense you want the granola bars. I like mine fairly dense, so I moisten my hands with a bit of water and press until I've condensed them as much as possible.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before cutting.
Recipe
Reader Comments (1)
i'm gonna make mindy kick you in the butt. you can prevent this by hooking me up with a granola bar. or two.