Friday, February 25, 2011

Granola Bars

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. We were lucky enough to get to visit family for a quick trip up north for a wedding.

This is my favorite granola bar recipe. I consider it a base recipe meaning I add different things to it all the time. I change the type of nuts, add mini chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc. Feel free to play with the ingredients to find your favorite combination. The ones pictured above have chunky almond butter (for the peanut butter), dried apricots and coconut milk.


Granola Bars
Serves: 12 Serving Size: 1/12th pan (1 bar)
Nutritional Info: Calories 119.0, Total Fat 2.9 g, Saturated Fat 0.2 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g, Cholesterol 0.1 mg, Sodium 11.3 mg, Potassium 69.7 mg, Total Carbohydrate 21.8 g, Dietary Fiber 2.2 g, Sugars 11.1 g, Protein 3.1 g

Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped almonds (or any type of nut)
1-1.5 Tbsp Peanut Butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup milk (skim/nonfat, soy, almond, coconut)
Non-stick cooking spray


Directions
1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Process 2 cups rolled oats in blender or food processor until they become flour-like. Mix "oat flour" with dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Add all wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir until well combined.
4. Spray a small baking dish (about 5 inches x 12 inches, or similar) with non-stick cooking spray. Add mixture to the dish, pressing it down with a spatula.
5. With a knife, cut the whole sheet into 12 bars. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Let cool, cut again, and store in an air-tight container for up to one week.

Adapted from a SparkPeople.com recipe