Crunchy Granola Bars
For the last few weeks now I have been working on perfecting my granola bar recipe. I didn't want it to be like a cookie nor was I looking for brittle, rather I was trying to develop a recipe that was reminiscent of the crunchy granola bars you can buy off the shelf at the local supermarket.
Some of you may think, 'well why not just buy it off the shelf and save yourself the headache?' True this would be easier but then I lack the control of what goes into my granola bar, plus I miss out on the opportunity to "play" with my food. I prefer non GMO, organic foods with ingredients I understand.
Besides these last few weeks haven't been a total write off. In my search for quality ingredients, I managed to stumble upon the Red River General Store and the wonderful products they sell there. I bought 100% Rolled Naked Oats produced locally by Adagio Acres, seeds from +Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, microgreens, and essential oils. I also found a little tea shop not too far from home. The Exquisite Tea store is where I picked up a tea travel mug and some organic tea for my daughter's birthday and I found some raw honey from +The John Russell Honey Company there. All in all I would have to say that I found so many good products at some new places and I look forward to going back to get some new ingredients.
Back to the granola bars, here's a snapshot of these scrumptious little treats. I can say there was more than this but as soon as they were cool enough to handle, they started to disappear in droves.
These are simple to make and really take no time at all to prepare. On top of that you can substitute anything for the coconut, almonds, raisins, extract and yes even the type of oil you use. So you can really tune into your taste and make these your own.
Crunchy Granola Bars
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1/2 cup toasted, slivered almonds
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups oats
1/2 cup arrowroot flour
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp maple extract (or whatever flavor you like)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Begin by toasting the quinoa, then coconut, followed by almonds. Move these ingredients to a bowl and while they are still warm add the remainder of the ingredients. Blend in by hand. Cover a 16x9 cookie sheet with parchment paper and pour the mix into the center of the pan, spread the mixture over the pan. Using another sheet of parchment paper to cover the pan, use a rolling pin to spread the mixture out evenly. Once the mixture is evenly spread out, remove the parchment paper from the top of the pan. Bake for about 15-20 minutes.
When done remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, if you have one, cut the mixture into bars about 2x4 inches. Do not remove the bars from the pan until completely cooled.
Once they are cooled, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Makes about 20 bars.
Enjoy!
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