Thursday, March 12, 2009

Fruit Granola Bars

I have tried a lot of granola bars over the years and homemade or store bought, these are the best I have ever had! It's mostly Ina Garten's recipe from the barefoot contessa back to basics cookbook. It's my #1 cookbook right now. If you like her and don't have this book already, go get it! So many amazing recipes! But, in typical fashion as I always do, I modified it a little bit. I substituted raisins for the dates and added cinnamon chips. I think the cinnamon chips are what really made them. There is the hint of cinnamon in the granola and it sweetened them up just enough. Oh, so good!

The granola bars were crunchy and were delcious plain, but I can't wait to have some with milk for breakfast tomorrow and then mixed in with my yogurt for my mid-morning snack at work! The most amazing part, is that they are healthy, and my 5 year old would NOT stop eating them all day today!

Fruit Granola Bars

2 C oats
1 C chopped almonds
1 C shredded coconut
1/2 C wheat bran
3 T unsalted butter
2/3 C honey
1/4 C brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C craisins
1/2 C chopped dried apricots
1/2 C cinnamon chips

Mix oats, almonds, and coconut together on a cookie sheet with raised sides and cook at 350 stirring occasionly for about 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Transfer the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add wheat bran.

In a small saucepan, melt honey, butter, and brown sugar together. Add vanilla and salt. Stir together and pour over oat mixture. Add dried fruit and cinnamon chips and mix well. Pour mixture into cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and press evenly.

Bake at 300 for 25 minutes. Cool slightly before cutting into bars, or cool completely to break into odd sized pieces. Serve at room temperature.

9 comments:

TonyM said...

I love granola bars but some of teh shop bought ones can be a disappointment. I shall have a go at your receipe!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Your 5yr old loved and then the healthy! Yay, for that!
~ingrid

ShellyH said...

yummy! I think I would like it better with the raisins in it too. Nice substitution!

Snooky doodle said...

these look delicious ! yummy

Katrina said...

Was just looking for something like this--healthy, filling and yummy! Great photos.

Katrina said...

Made these yesterday and can't stop eating them. I really filled mine full of fruit. I only baked it about 20 minutes and they are the perfect "chewy" granola bar. Yum! Say goodbye to store bought preservatives, hydrogentated oils and high fructose corn syrup!
I'm also right now trying out making some with no fruit, but adding a natural crunchy peanut butter and some chocolate chips. Haven't baked it off yet, but I'll bet it's good. Thanks for the recipe.

BumbleVee said...

I've only ever had a couple of icky store bought granola bars in my life.... horrible things....

This looks like the perfect snacking bar.... yum !! and thank you! definitely giving these a go...

Anonymous said...

Hi Becky, I made these and they were fabulous! The cinnamon chips are such a great idea. I posted my version on my blog and of course linked to your site. Thanks for the great recipe!

collegestudent said...

These look great! where do I purchase wheat bran from?