Granola Bars

I'm a really snacky person.   As in, I always have snacks nearby, because if I don't eat regularly, I get really crabby/woozy/dopey/sad/younameit.  For the past couple of weeks, my snack drawer in my desk at work has been the slimmest of pickins.  So it got me to daydreaming about snacks that I could make from scratch.  (Any excuse to avoid a trip to the grocery store!!)  I've long been wanting to try out this granola bar recipe, so it was the perfect choice for this week's post.

I made two batches, so that I could try out two different flavor variations.  The first batch was with roasted pecans and chocolate chips.  The second was with roasted pecans and dried blueberries and cranberries.

All in all, I thought the granola bars were fine.  Not scrumptious, but certainly not bad tasting in any way.  I think it's partly to do with the amount of honey in the recipe; I like honey, but I don't like it to be a strong flavor in the finished result.  I rate this recipe a 3 Spoons, so I'll keep looking for something that suits my taste.  And my snack drawer.

Enjoy!

{  UPDATE!  }

I found my holy grail of chewy granola bar recipes!  I posted it with photos here:

Perfect, Chewy Granola Bars

Granola Bars

adapted from allrecipes.com

2 c. oatmeal

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. wheat germ

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. roasted pecan pieces

1/2 c. chocolate chips

1 egg, beaten

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. honey

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a baking sheet, 9x13 or larger.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.  Make a well in the center of the bowl, and pour in the egg, oil, honey, and vanilla.  Stir to combine with a mixing spoon.  Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan, into a rectangle 8x10" in size.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until edges are golden and crispy.  (The center will appear un-done.)  For crispy bars, bake for 30 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes on the pan, and then invert onto a large cutting board and cut while still warm. 

Note:  For the dried berry variation, I used 1/2 c. pecans, 1/2 c. dried blueberries, 1/2 c. dried cranberries, and reduced the cinnamon to 1/2 tsp.

Dry Ingredients:

Add the wet ingredients to the center well:

Pat into an 8x10" rectangle:

Invert the bars and cut into them while still warm: