Homemade Granola Bars

I normally have no time to make myself a filling breakfast before going to work. My typical weekday breakfast consists of a piece of fruit and a Nature Valley granola bar. At some point, I realized, “Why not make my own granola bars that are healthier and probably tastier than the store-bought ones?” With that in mind, I set off to make granola bars based off a trusty Alton Brown recipe.

Ingredients:
8 oz (about 2 cups) old-fashioned rolled oats
1¹/₂ cups unsalted mixed nuts (such as almonds, cashews, pistachios, and pecans), chopped
6 oz (about ¹/₂ cup) honey
1³/₄ oz (about ¹/₄ cup) dark brown sugar
1 oz (about 2 Tbs) unsalted butter
1¹/₂ tsp vanilla extract
¹/₂ tsp salt
1¹/₂ oz (about ¹/₂ cup) wheat germ
2 oz (about ¹/₂ cup) dried cranberries
3 oz (about ¹/₂ cup) pitted dates, chopped
3 oz (about ¹/₂ cup) dried apricots, chopped

Toast the oats and nuts: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread the oats and chopped nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown. Remove the sheet the from oven, then reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Prepare the binder: Combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and salt in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat, until the mixture just begins to boil.

Mix the ingredients: Toss the toasted oats and nuts, binding mixture, wheat germ, and dried fruit in a large bowl. Stir well to combine.

Toast the oats and chopped nuts.

Combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and salt in a small saucepan.

Melt binding mixture over medium heat.

Add the binding mixture to the toasted oats and nuts, wheat germ, and dried fruit.

Bake the granola mixture: Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil-parchment paper (parchment side up), then pour the mixture into the pan. Dip fingers in water, then use fingers to evenly distribute and pack down the granola mixture. Bake at 300°F for 25 minutes.

Cut granola into bars: Allow mixture to cool completely to harden (at least a couple hours). Lift granola out of the pan by the sides of the foil-parchment paper. Cut the granola into 16 equally sized bars.

Combine all ingredients and press down evenly into a baking pan.

Cut the granola into 16 equally sized bars.

The granola bars were easy to make and came out delicious. The ratio of fruits and nuts to the oats was perfect. I will never have to buy granola bars from the store again!