a Little Fruity, and a Little Nutty Granola Bars

I adapted this recipe from two online recipes that I came across when looking to make my first home-made granola bars. The first recipe from Gothic Lolita Sewing and the other from Allrecipes.com Playgroup Granola Bars.

The bars are hearty and sweet, made of very simple ingredients, most of which I already had in the pantry. Next time I will try to reduce the amount of butter to make them healthier.

a Little Fruity and a Little Nutty Granola Bars

2 Cups Whole Oats or Oat Blend (i used barley, oat mix)

1 Cup Nuts Chopped (i used sliced almonds)

1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds

1 cup Dried Fruit chopped (i used a mix of golden raisins, cranberries, blueberries, and cherries)

1/2 Cup Butter melted

3 Tbsp Brown Sugar

3 Tbsp Honey

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

sprinkle cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 320 degrees.

2. Prepare a sheet pan with a light spray of oil or a sheet of parchment paper

3. Place the nuts, seeds and oats on the baking sheet and toast them for 5-10 minutes in the oven

4. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Blend in brown sugar and honey until dissolved.

5. Remove nuts, seeds and oats from oven.

6. Pour all ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

7. Pour the mixture back onto the sheet pan. Press the mix into a uniform rectangle, about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. The block should measure about 6 inches by 12 inches.

8. Bake for 30 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and cut into 10-12 portions before the bars cool.

10. Allow bars to cool and wrap in an air tight container. I chose to wrap each individually in parchment paper since the bars were sticky and I wanted them to be easier to grab and go.