Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Pecan Crunch Granola Bars





So, I've seen plenty of granola bar recipes floating around on several websites, that I finally decided to make my own granola bars. My dad was especially happy about this; Being that these were going to be homemade granola bars. He doesn't like anything store bought. He likes anything that is homemade and thats the way he likes it. So he was especially happy about this.

I originally wanted to have dried blueberries in these, however, I could not find any in the store, and I didn't have the time or the patients to make my own dried blueberries. I wanted to make granola bars today. And I had to make granola bars with my favorite nut; Pecans! In the end, it was much better that I used raisins instead of blueberries. I have a feeling that the blueberries the pecans wouldn't have made a good pair. With the cinnamon, everything just came together wonderfully.

One tip I have when making these; LET THEM COOL! If you do not let them cool completely, they will fall apart on you. Then you would had destroyed a beautiful creation.





Recipe

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 cup pecans, chopped into little pieces
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup dried raisins (or any dried fruit)


1. Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes to toast.

3. While thats going, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, extract and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook just until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

4. Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit and coconut, and stir to combine.

5. 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 about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and wrap up for snacks or store in an airtight container for up to a week.



8 comments:

Elle said...

Those look SO good! I think blueberries would be really good, too.

RecipeGirl said...

I like the idea of making homemade granola bars. My 6 year old is a snack maniac so it would be great to have these around. Thanks!

jd said...

Wow - these granola bars look delish!

It's amazing how much better home-made bars are, isn't it?!

Great blog!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

you're right - a LOT of bloggers have been making granola bars lately. I think I like your recipe the best - it's so hearty and delicious! :0)

Patsyk said...

These look fantastic! I love that they are homemade... I always have a stash of granola bars on hand, and would love to make them myself. Good to know exactly what's in them. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

Anonymous said...

Honestly, I am not a big fan of granola bars, but yours make my mouth water:)) Good looking bars:)

Anonymous said...

Lovely bars - and the perfect thing to make as a lunchbox filler for my siblings, I think :)

amycaseycooks said...

I have been experimenting with granola bars lately. I am going to give your recipe a try. Homemade are SOOOO much better than the ones in the store.

 
 
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