Granola Bars

"Good to the Grain", by Kim Boyce has really inspired my baking and this is her recipe.  I am very interested in baking using whole grains as well as ingredients that I have never used before.  While this recipe is made using common ingredients, it is more than the usual granola.  It has great flavor and texture.  I made this recipe and cut the bars up into small pieces.  After placing this on my desk, I saw people reluctantly eat one piece to appease me and come back for more willingly.  If you like granola or simply want a great healthy snack make this recipe.  I added coconut to these to add some additional flavor, although this was not in the original recipe.  I made this recipe with all organic ingredients, but conventional ingredients will still make a great granola.

Ingredients:

1/2 stick of butter plus more for greasing the pan
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup plus 1 TBS flax seed meal
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup raisins (or Craisins or dried cherries)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1TBS molasses
1 tsp kosher salt

Here's how:.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Grease a 9 x 9 inch baking dish.

Greased pan

Melt the 1/2 stick of butter in a medium sized pot on medium heat.

Butter melting

Add the oats and stir every minute or so for 6 minutes until the oats are toasted. 


Oats into the butter

Oats after toasting

Remove the oats from the heat and pour the oats into a large bowl.

Oats in the bowl

Add 1/2 cup flaxseed meal, coconut and cinnamon to the oats.  Stir to combine.

Flaxseed and cinnamon added

Coconut

Place the raisins and 1 TBS flaxseed meal on a cutting board and finely chop them.  (This helps to keep the fruit from sticking to your knife.)

Onto the cutting board

All chopped

Add the chopped raisins to the oats.

All combined

Now make the syrup.  Place the honey, brown sugar, molasses and salt into a small pot. 

Honey, brown sugar, molasses and salt into the box

Stirring but make sure the brown sugar gets incorporated in

Cook over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Cook for a total of 6 minutes.

Syrup boiling

Pour the syrup mixture over the oats and combine well.  Make sure it is all coated.

Syrup onto the oats

Scrape the oats mixture into the greased pan and press it firmly into the pan until it is evenly distributed in the pan.

Mixture into the pan, ready for the oven

Bake for 25 minutes, turning halfway through.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

Out of the oven.  Ready to cut.

Cut into 16 bars and remove from the pan.  If you wait until it is totally cooled, you will have a really hard time removing it from the pan.