Homemade Granola Bars

This recipe was recently shared at a recipe/menu exchange group I created a year ago called My Girlfriends Kitchen.  It is a group that shares our tried and true favorite recipes based around a chosen theme for the month.  The month of September I thought I need new ideas for home lunches for school and after school snacks.  Many great ideas were shared, but this one was my favorite! Annette is a fabulous cook and baker and cake decorator extraordinaire.  Check out her blog to see for yourself.   http://www.violetscustomcakes.blogspot.com/

Homemade Granola Bars—Annette Moss

1 cup sugar (granulated or brown)

1 cup corn syrup or honey

1/2 cup peanut butter (or almond butter)

Stir until combine

Add:

2-3 cups old fashioned oats

2-3 cups rice krispy cereal

Combine and add more oats if needed.  (More oats make it drier/crunchier, less oats makes it chewier).

At this point stir in whatever you want like:

Chocolate chips

PB chips

Coconut

Raisins

Craisins

Pretzel pieces

Graham crackers/ Marshmallows/ and chocolate chips s’mores flavor

Line 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper so it comes up to the sides.  Dump granola bar mix into the pan. Press flat and cut into bars. Wrap individual bars in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container.  (If they last that long!)

Salted Caramel Granola

I love granola! I love making it for my family and friends. I came upon this recipe when I was searching for some recipes for a special shower I was hosting at my house for a friend of mine who was a surrogate mother for her dear cousin.  One special gal! So I wanted this shower to be simple yet have a variety.  I made several homemade granolas and this one took the prize. It is more like a treat than it is a tree hugging "granola" snack.  Probably why everyone devoured it.  Its a keeper for sure!

SALTED CARAMEL GRANOLA

Author: KELLEY GRANT 

http://thegrantlife.com/salted-caramel-granola/

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups oats

• ½ cup flax seeds (optional)

• ⅛ cup chia seeds (optional)

• 1 cup pecans

• 1 cup of pretzels

• ½ cup honey

• ½ cup of coconut oil

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• ½ stick of butter

• ½ cup of brown sugar, packed

• 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1 Preheat oven to 350. Spray a cookie sheet or use a silicone baking sheet.

2 Mix together the oats, flax seeds, chia seeds, pecans, and pretzels.

3 In a saucepan, bring the honey, coconut oil, brown sugar and vanilla to a boil.

4 Allow to cool then mix together with the dry ingredients.

5 Press the mixture onto your cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes,or until it starts to turn golden brown.

6 Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes.

7 While its cooling, bring the brown sugar, butter and milk or cream to a boil on the stove stop. Whisk constantly.

8 Allow to boil for 3 minutes then remove from heat.

9 Pour over the granola and place it back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

10 Remove, let cool and break into pieces!

11 Enjoy!

Energy Bark

This is such a great and healthy snack! If you are picky about the snacks you give your family, you are going to love this one!! It has carbs and protein to keep you and your kids going. Its a sweet and nutty flavored snack that everyone at our house loves. I usually double or triple the batch every time I make it. (I got this recipe from Parents Magazine in November 2006, p. 2006)

1 cup Old-Fashioned Oats

1 cup sliced Almonds

1/2 cup Coconut Flakes

1/4 cup Wheat Germ

2 Tablespoons Whole Wheat flour (I have used white here too)

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

3 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Honey

Heats oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, mix together oats, almonds, coconut, wheat germ, flour, and cinnamon. In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, and honey; bring to a boil and cook 30 seconds. Pour over oat mixture and stir to combine. Spread on foil-lined baking sheet and bake 20 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheet, then break into pieces.

Makes 12 servings

Nutrition per serving: 153 Calories, 4g protein, 9 g fat; 17 carbs; 32mg calcium, 2 g fiber.

Peanut Butter Granola

I got this recipe from Diana E. at a Relief Society function. I was so excited to try it because we love granola at our house. Its great and fun to have a new flavor. We liked it plain as snack or as a quick cereal with milk on it. It is great on top of ice cream sundaes. For me it has to be paired with the right fruit and yogurt. It still doesn't top our Almond-Coconut granola, but we will make it over and over I am sure! Thank you Diana for another great recipe

Mix and Heat in 4 cup glass mixing bowl fir 4 minutes on High in the microwave.

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 1/3 cup margarine or butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl:

12 cups Rolled Oats

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

(you can also add nuts or coconut if you would like)

Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix quickly until it is evenly coated. Put onto 2 greased cookie sheets. Put both in oven one on upper rack and one on lower. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Switch cookie sheet to alternate rack and bake additional 10 minutes. Then turn off the oven and let the granola dry for several hours in the oven. Store in air tight container and enjoy.

Jill's Homemade Granola

We love this granola. You can add any dried fruit you want to it, we tend to eat it better when I leave it plain. My kids love this on top of their yogurt in the morning with diced fresh fruit or frozen berries. My mom kept saying she needed this recipe and I kept telling her it was on the blog. We love this recipe and make it so frequently that I seriously thought I had already posted it. Sorry mom! Here it is...

4 Cups Old-Fashion Oats
1 cup slivered almonds (1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup pecans is also good)
1/2 cup Sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of Salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 325. Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together oats, almonds, coconut, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine oil, honey, and sugar. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Drizzle syrup over oat mixture. Pour granola onto prepared baking sheets and spread out evenly. Bake stirring occasionally until golden brown (about 25 minutes). Let granola cool completely on a wire rack. Break into chunks and store in an airtight container.

Almond-Coconut Granola
Recipe courtesy Gourmet Magazine

Recipe SummaryDifficulty: Easy Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Yield: 6 cups
User Rating:

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
1/3 cup hulled green pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
6 tablespoons honey
1 cup mixed dried raisins and apricots

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl stir together oats, almonds, coconut, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, and salt. In a small saucepan melt butter with honey over low heat, stirring. Pour butter mixture over oat mixture and stir until combined well.
In a large jelly-roll pan spread granola evenly and bake in middle of oven, stirring halfway through baking, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool granola in pan on a rack and stir in dried fruits. Granola may be kept in an airtight container at cool room temperature 2 weeks.

Episode#: SS1C12Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

This is one of our family's favorite granola's