Take-a-Hike Granola Bars

By KimberlyB

When you make your own granola bars, you're able to use the exact combination of dried fruit, nuts, and seeds you like.

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups (5 1/8 ounces) quick rolled oats
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (3 1/8 ounces) Sticky Bun Sugar
• 1/3 cup (2 3/8 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (1 ounce) oat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
• 2 to 3 cups (10 to 15 ounces) dried fruits and nuts*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) melted butter or vegetable oil (1 3/4 ounces)
• 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) peanut butter, optional
• 1/4 cup (2 3/4 ounces) honey, maple syrup or corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon water
• We like 1/2 cup each dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, chopped pecans, sunflower seeds, and coconut. Walnuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried cherries or apples, or even chocolate chips would all be delicious as well!

Details

Servings 12
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 35mins

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, syrup or honey, peanut butter, and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, shaking the pan to evenly cover the bottom.

Bake the bars for 25 to 30 minutes, until they're just starting to brown and are bubbly around the edges. Remove from the oven, and cool for 10 minutes. Use a knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars while they're still warm in the pan. Let cool completely before removing from the pan. Yield: about one dozen 2" x 4 1/2" bars.