I set out on a journey to find an alternative, and this is the recipe I have stumbled upon. It's very forgiving, and not exactly a recipe, as much as it is a starting point. I change up the additives/ingredients to suit our tastes, and change the pans I prepare it in, always looking for the next easiest option for packaging and serving.
I know some of you, ie Jessica, have issue with trying something that doesn't have a step-by-step recipe. GET OVER IT, these will still turn out fine. I promise!
2 C organic rolled oats (not the quick kind)
1 C whole wheat flour (sub white, flax meal, wheat germ, oat bran for some or all if you want)
1/2 tsp baking soda
Add random stuff you like in your granola: sunflower seeds, nuts, flax seed, sesame, chopped dried fruits, chocolate chips, poppy seeds, you get it...
Stir above to combine, and add the wet ingredients to follow:
1/3 C honey (more or less to taste, sub some brown sugar, peanut butter, molasses if you want)
1 stick melted butter
Press concoction firmly into a well greased receptacle. The size of the pan will dictate the thickness of your bars/squares/bites.
Bake at 300 degrees for 15-22 min. Time in oven directly relates to pan choice, so keep an eye on them and when the begin to brown and become fragrant, pull 'em out.
You will notice that they puffed up again. Smash the suckers back down nice and flat, give 'em 10 minutes to cool, and get them out of the pan for slicing. If you used the mini-muffin tin for bites, just leave 'em alone. To make it really easy for removal, try using a parchment sling under them in a 9x13, then cut with a pizza roller! After slicing, let cool thoroughly before moving for best results.
Store in an airtight container, or wrap individually for grab and go snacks!
Share here if you come up with any particularly delectable combos!
OK, here's what I did:
ReplyDelete2 cups oats
3/4 cup wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup(ish) of flax seed meal
1/2 t baking soda
couple handfuls of craisins (only dried fruit I have right now!!)
chopped up about 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips into part powder, part mini chips
handful of sliced almonds
handful of sunflower seeds
2 T Blackstrap Molasses into a 1/3 cup
filled the rest of the 1/3 cup with honey
maybe 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 stick butter
3.5 oz Ella's kitchen sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apples and blueberries packet
10 drops vanilla flavored liquid stevia (my kids like their granola bars SWEET; we usually buy Cascadian Farms, and theirs are 2 parts sugar, 1 part granola)
I pressed my glop into a 9x13 pan.
I will tell you in 15-22 minutes how it turned out!
Mine are a little dry and crumbly. I thought it seemed a little dry when I put it in, but decided to go with it and see how it went. I think it would have been fine with a little more applesauce/pumpkin/whatever. I am also pretty sure I cooked it too long. It didn't "seem" done, so I chalked it up to high altitude and left it in. I think it was probably done at that point. However, my chewy granola bar crumbles are INCREDIBLY tasty. My kids wouldn't stop eating them after dinner. I put some in the freezer, but I have a feeling we will be pulling them out very soon. I have a little experimenting to do, but this is definitely going to be a regular for us. Forget Cascadian Farms... I can do granola bars and make them with less sugar and more nutrition! Woo hoo! Thanks Stephanie!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I would think that the applesauce wouldn't work as a sub in granola bars because it's mostly water. I THINK the main purpose of the butter is to keep it moist and hold stuff together once it cools and solidifies.
ReplyDeleteI made a similar recipe with Kashi instead of oats for extra protein, it ended up falling apart because I used very little wet ingredients but it made great granola. :) When I perfect that recipe I'll post it on the blog.
I agree. I don't think applesauce will do the trick. But I think peanut butter will work. I also think some sauces with more content/less water will work (pumpkin puree, sweet potato puree, that type of thing), and they will add some vegetable/vitamin content.
ReplyDelete