Homemade Granola Bars

My family eats a lot of granola. With a box of processed granola costing $3 or more for only six bars, I looked towards a more economical and healthier option. There are many recipes online and in cooking books or magazines for homemade granola and granola bars but I wanted a bar that was healthy, flavorful and easy to make. I also wanted a bar that I could assemble from ingredients that I usually have on hand in my pantry. It would be a bonus if it were cheaper than the store bought varieties.

After consulting a few different recipes, including a couple shared by friends, I decided to combine my favorite parts of those recipes and create my own homemade granola bar. This bar is a flavorful combination of chewy and crunchy, sweet and tart.

Preparation

Line a 10X15 baking pan with foil and coat the foil with non-stick spray. Preheat an oven to 325 degrees (165º C gas mark 3-very moderate).

Ingredients

4 cups (.95 liters) quick oats

1 cup (240 milliliters) chopped pecans

1 cup (240 milliliters) chopped peanuts

1 can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

1 bag dried, cranberries or Craisins (six-ounce/170g), we prefer Craisins cherry flavor

1/2 cup (118 milliliters) melted light margarine

Directions

Melt the light margarine in a large mixing bowl in the microwave. Remove from microwave and mix in the oats, pecans, peanuts, Craisins and sweetened condensed milk. Stir until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and sticky from the milk. Spoon the batter into the baking pan that has been lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray. Smooth the mixture evenly throughout the pan. You can coat the spoon with non-stick spray for easier spreading.

Bake the granola for about 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. For a crispier bar, bake for an additional 5 minutes but be sure to watch the granola closely. The edges can burn quickly after the first 30 minutes has passed.

Allow the pan to cool slightly and then remove the bars by lifting the foil from the pan and placing on a flat surface. The foil should peel away from the giant granola bar with ease. Remove the granola to a safe, cutting surface and slice into bar shapes. A handy size is about 2-inches-by-four inches or 5.1-centimeters-by-10.2-centimeters. This recipe makes approximately two dozen bars.

Store the granola bars in an airtight container for up to two weeks for the best freshness. These bars are ideal for home-packed lunches, car trips and as an after-school snack. They are also a good energy booster for before or after sports practices.

Making homemade granola bars allow you to customize the flavors with ingredients your family likes. Other tasty ingredients that can be used are dried apple pieces, dried apricots, raisins, chopped walnuts, chopped cashews and unsalted sunflower kernels. Dried banana chips do not work well in this recipe. You can also take pride that with the homemade versions you are eliminating added preservatives and using lower fat ingredients.

Quick and easy granola bar recipes are best when they are adaptable to your tastes as well as product availability. This recipe for homemade bars is quick and simple for even the novice cook to make and it will generate a batch of granola bars that are far cheaper than any boxed variety in the grocery store.