Saturday, December 13, 2008

Granola Bars

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Is it possible to not like a granola bar? Granola or granola bars are definitely some of the most addicting snacks! I mean, it's practically 'healthy' right.. so it doesn't matter when you've eaten so much you can't believe you've consumed 2 cups or cereal, 2.5 cups of oatmeal, 1/2 cup of peanut butter, 1/2 cup of sugar...and the list goes on! I hope no one does the calorie count because I don't want to know. After searching for what feels like forever to find the perfect granola recipe (I know there isn't a perfect recipe, but CI convinces me otherwise), I finally decided to try the chewy peanut butter granola bars from the savory notebook.

Now before any of you freak when you see the amount of corn syrup, I don't think there can be substitutions for it this time. I've made granola with maple syrup and honey before and even though it was really good, the 'freshness' factor just wasn't there.. I'm not talking about staleness, but I was missing the perfect balance of crisp, crunch yet chewy. I do feel a tad guilty about using so much corn syrup so if anyone knows a good substitution, please let me know!

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I made a few modifications..suprisingly..considering I'm usually one of those 'must follow the recipe to the word' people. Since we had lots of Kashi cereal that no one was eating, I substituted that for the puffed brown rice which I didn't have anyway. It added a really nice crunch and was a great way to get rid of it. I also added extra oats because I like my bars really oaty. I reduced the raisins because 1 cup was just way too raisiny, but I would definitely not omit all of it because they just add amazing texture and chewiness. Next time I'm definitely throwing in 1/4 cup of sesame seeds that I forgot this time. Although, I really don't think there should be a next time because this stuff is just way too addicting unless if I have a good excuse.. like getting rid of cereal!

Granola Bars
Adapted from The Savory Notebook

3/4 cup roasted salted peanuts
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2.5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (toasted in a 350ยบ oven for 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant - 350 tends to burn for me so I reduced to 200)
2 cups puffed brown rice cereal/(I used Kashi)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (I just used regular PB)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Toast peanuts, pumpkin seeds, oats, cereal in oven at 200F for 15 min then pour in a large bowl with dried fruit

Whisk the peanut butter, brown sugar, light corn syrup and salt in a medium microwavable bowl and heat on high until mixture is bubbling, about 1 to 2 minutes. (I actually did this over the stove top over medium heat because the microwave tends to dry things out)

Pour peanut butter/sugar mixture into the large bowl and mix thoroughly

Press the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. (If mixture is sticky, use a bit of cooking spray on your hands or coat a piece of wax paper with cooking spray and use the paper to help you press the mixture into the pan.) I don't use cooking spray because that stuff freaks me out for some reason, but I found that lining the pan with aluminum was the best because parchment moves around too much)

Let bars cool for 1 hour before cutting into bars.

Makes about 16 bars.

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25 comments:

  1. Wow- these seriously look so amazing. The fruit, the lighting- yum. I have made granola a couple of time this year and I used peach nectar, but I am not sure that would work in a bar. They look great. I am sure the amount of corn syrup per bar really doesn't amount to too much!

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  2. wow these look great :) nice for a morning treat :)

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  3. Steph, these look wonderful. I always make my own granola but have never attempted granola bars. I love how you switch up your baking, never the same type of thing.

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  4. You were thinking of doing squats? Nice! Hey, you even have granola bars to have afterwards if you want. There's some seriously tasty fuel going on there. I can't even tell you how many granola bars I've had as a kid. I think I kept the oatmeal raisin people in business.

    Oh and I missed you too buddy :)

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  5. These look absolutely amazing. I don't think I'll be able to go back to store bought again.

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  6. Oh, you're funny. You went on about how much corn syrup there is, but it's only 1/2 cup! I crunched some numbers and hopefully I've got it right.

    1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons / 16 servings = 0.5 tablespoon per bar, or 1.5 teaspoons per bar. That's not a lot at all!

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  7. Those look amazingly yummy - great pictures!

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  8. Actually, I'm not a fan of granola bars. I only eat certain kinds, like chocolate chip and peanut butter combo. Come to think of it, it's the only kind I will eat.

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  9. I have a favor to ask. I can't see CI's version of CCC because I have to be a member. Could you possibly email it to mooseymoosecc@hotmail.com? The last few batches of CCC I've made came out too cakelike. I don't know if it's my recipe or my technique. Any suggestions? How long do you cream the butter and sugar together? I'm thinking that maybe I beat it too long.

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  10. Thanks for the lovely comments on my blog. I hope that you're exam period is going well! Those granola bars look simply delicious... good thing I didn't read the recipe until after exams, otherwise I would have been majorly distracted by all that ooey-gooey goodness!!

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  11. I agree with Mary Ann about the corn syrup. It doesn't really add up to all that much per bar. They look really great, Steph!

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  12. These look so good! Your pictures make them look even better. Please let me know how your cranberry-orange bread comes out - especially if you tweak the recipe! I really hope you enjoy it.

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  13. As much as I tried not to like your granola bars because they are healthy and go against everything indulgent about the holidays, your granola bars look decadent and I would love them for breakfast and to snack on even during the holidays!

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  14. These look like the perfect snack!

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  15. OOOoo granola bars yum. I'm always looking for some kind of healthy granola bar recipe that will stick together well. But yea that corn syrup is a bit scary! How about agave syrup? And if it doesn't stick together well enough maybe add some extra peanut butter?

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  16. Wow Steph! That last photo was amazing :) Yes, I do like Granola bars but I don't eat them because my waist really can't take that much more abuse :(

    I'm sorry for the long silence. I'm back to blogging but I'm going to have to keep the blog hopping to a minimum. Sigh.

    Hey, if I don't stop by in time, have a great Xmas!

    xx

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  17. mmmm, those do look delish! I love how they're so colorful too... they've got lots of visual appeal.

    Nice job!

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  18. Those granola bars look good! Making your own sounds like fun.

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  19. Yum yum yummy! It's about time I made another batch of granola bars m'self, thanks for inspiring me. : )

    I was going to suggest trying brown rice syrup in place of the corn syrup when I realized I could be the guinea pig & try it first. I'll let you know how it goes. I do like to use agave syrup in place of honey, I think brown rice syrup would be a better sub for the corn syrup, though, being thicker than the agave.

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  20. Yummy, yummy, and more yummy!!! I am thinking about making a batch and heading out for a hike.

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  21. Great pics! They look really good!

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  22. Hi. I loved your photos so much that I went ahead and made my own granola bars too. They are amazingly delicious, but after a day mine became quite firm, then after two days we had to chop them up as snack mix because they were so crunchy. Still really good though, even then. Thanks for the recipe!
    Michelle
    http://oneordinaryday.wordpress.com/

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  23. I didn't realize how easy these were to make until I got into them...Even though you toast the oats, etc, they're no-bake granola bars, and they are really very good. When they are this easy to make, you don't really have an excuse to buy granola bars anymore...

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