Monday, July 5, 2010

Granola Bars Recipe

As requested, here is one version of the Kitchen Stewardship Granola Bars. The recipe can also be found on that site.

© 2010 Katie Kimball | Kitchen Stewardship
The most popular recipe at Kitchen Stewardship, this granola bar method is as easy as mixing up a batch of homemade cookies. The amount of honey makes them both slightly indulgent and slightly expensive, but it’s worth it!

Ingredients:
4 1/2 c. rolled oats 1 c. whole wheat or spelt flour
1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. vanilla 1 c. butter, softened 1 c. honey
2 cups of add-ins: mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, coconut, other nuts…

Directions:
Lightly butter a 9”×13” glass pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and honey first and mix well. Tip: If your butter isn’t softened, use a rolling pin and roll it between two sheets of wax paper. Then add all ingredients except add-ins. Beat well until combined. Stir in add-ins by hand. Press mixture hard into pan. (You can use your hands!) Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. They do not have to look or feel “done” but will be quite moist – remember that there aren’t any eggs in the recipe. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing and serving. Store at room temperature or freeze for longer freshness.

NEW: Stickier, Chewier Granola Bars: The one drawback of this original recipe is that it tends to be a bit crumbly, especially if you overbake the bars even slightly. You can avoid that by melting the butter, honey and vanilla in a saucepan and cooking on low for 5 minutes after the butter melts, then mixing the liquid ingredients into the dry. You can choose to bake them or skip the baking powder and not bake them (see Soaked Granola Bars, next recipe in booklet). Of course, this takes longer and dirties an extra pot. Works both ways!

Other Flavors:
Add ¼ c. cocoa powder to the dry ingredients; no chocolate chips needed
Use ½ c. natural peanut butter in place of ½ c. of the butter

Makes at least 20 bars, equivalent to about 3 boxes processed bars
Cost: $3.50, varies widely based on honey and butter prices

No comments:

Post a Comment