Granola bars

When I saw these bars on Oishii, one of the blogs I follow, I was so excited to try them. The pictures reminded me of Nature Valley granola bars, which are wheat-free, which makes them safe for The H. I am pretty good at buying them on sale, but why bother when I usually have all of the simple ingredients hanging around the house? I was especially thrilled when I read about these, since my standard granola recipe is always too crumbly to hold a bar shape.

You can find the original recipe for these bars here; what follows is my kinda-sorta cleaned-up version.



Granola Bars
makes 24

4 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Sucanat
3/4 cup SmartBalance 50/50 olive oil blend, melted (1.5 sticks)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt



1. Preheat the oven to 350*.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
3. Press firmly into a jelly roll pan (or a cookie sheet with high sides).
4. Bake for 15-30 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Cool completely and cut into bars.



I scored these while they were still warm, which was good because they crisped up as they cooled. The H and I each had some while they were warm and the underside was slightly chewy. I'm impressed with how well they held together and plan to make them again. I really like the toastiness of the browned edges. The H has already requested a version with chocolate drizzled over the top. :)