Plain Granola Bars

I have been on the quest for the perfect granola bar for a long time. Not too sweet, crunchy but not hard, the list goes on. I think this simple recipe is as close as it's going to get. For now.

1 1/2 c. gluten free oats
1 T. flaxseed meal
3 T. olive oil
2 T. honey
2 T. syrup
1/8 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon

Heat everything but the flaxseed meal and oatmeal in a saucepan. Once it's all incorporated, stir in the oats & flax. Spread the mixture onto a foil-lined (and greased) cookie sheet. Press it down firm and flat. It won't cover the entire sheet- only about half.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Let them cool for just a few minutes once they're out of the oven, then cut them into bars with a pizza cutter. If you wait too long, they'll be hard to cut.

Delicious & easy.

I'm workin' on it...

The greatest granola bar recipe ever (for me, anyway). Not sickeningly sweet, crunchy and stays together. It's coming along quite nicely through trial and error, tweak after tweak. The rejects are pretty tasty, as well. It's a win-win.

granollllaaa [bars]

I was motivated to attempt granola bars again because
1. my boss gave me a bunch of Bob's soy flour that she will not use (sweet!)
2. I needed a post-workout protein/ carb bar.

Yes, my lazy-ass got on the treadmill today. I even got into it, with my purple 5-lb. hand weights. My brother, who was on the computer next to me, blasted cheesy 90's techno to keep me going. That stuff's got a good, brisk walking beat. (I do not run...)

But, enough about my workout.

These bars fulfill my two requirements: no honey or peanut butter. I think the agave nectar, which provided just enough sweetness, helped hold them together. (Along with the egg)

Plenty of good stuff in these bars.

The thing is, though, they're soft. I think I'm more partial to crunchy bars.
When they were done and cooled for a minute I cut them and placed them on a cookie sheet. I put them back in the oven and turned it off, hoping to make them crunchier. After a while, they weren't necessarily crunchier, but were chewier. I think it was an improvement.

My pickiness aside, these are good and good for you.

Granola Bars

1 beaten egg
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. agave nectar
1 t. vanilla
3 T. flaxseed meal
1 1/2 c. GF oats
1/2 c. soy flour
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350. Mix up the dry ingredients. Mix up the wet ingredients, then- you guessed it- Mix them together. Press the mixture into a lightly greased 8x8 square pan and bake for 15-20 minutes. I tested mine with a toothpick to tell when they were done.

For chewier bars, let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then cut into bars. Place the bars on a cookie sheet, place them back into the oven, turn the heat off, and forget about them for about an hour.

*ps. the more I go back and nibble on these, the more I like them. I'm totally thinking breakfast-on-the-go.

Granola Bar Help!

I am picky about my granola bars.

I would love to bring granola bars to school, for those "gotta eat NOW" moments in the middle of lecture.

Store-bought snack bars leave a lot to be desired, and it's cheaper and easier to add just what I like when they're homemade.

I have tried recipe after recipe, but have not found one that satisfies me. I have mostly experimented with crunchy, and my few attempts at soft granola bars have been less than tasty. Needless to say, I have been through a lot of gluten-free oats.

I do not like ones with lots of honey, because the sickly sweet taste makes me nauseous when I eat it on an empty stomach.

Same goes for the peanut butter ones. When my stomach is empty and I'm starving, straight peanut butter is no bueno.

The problem with nixing peanut butter and honey is... they fall apart. I end up with yet another batch of granola instead of granola BARS.

I tried using applesauce once and they turned out a really funky texture.

I'd rather not use corn syrup, but I'd use a little bit if it would hold the bars together.
I want to make these as healthy as I can, and not so sweet.

Does anyone have a tried-and-true recipe that they like, that doesn't use honey or peanut butter as a binder? Please help!

Enjoy Life Very Berry Snack Bars

I picked these up in the store the other day because

1. they were on sale and
2. I thought they'd be different than what they were.

They were next to the bars that had a granola/ cakey outside and a fruity filling (think Nutrigrain Bars), and for some reason I thought these were the same, except with raspberry filling.

Quite the contrary, these are solid bars. They are indeed soft, like the box says, but not exactly chewy.

The texture leaves something to be desired. It's a tad grainy at the end of the mouthful, and there are unexpected crunches throughout the softness of the bar that interrupt chewing and leave you wondering what that was. In my opinion they should either be more crunchy or not crunchy at all.

The taste itself is not bad, and they small and sturdy enough to carry around for emergency carbs.

Will I throw them out? No, I'll probably finish the box.

Would I buy them again? Probably not.

There you have it.

Granola Bars

I haven't cooked in a while. School this past week was in-my-face and busy.

The hardest thing about school starting is the sudden loss of an available kitchen during the day. I can't just make something for lunch anymore. I have to make sure and pack enough food so that I'm not starving in the middle of my last class. Lots of planning goes into lunch. [Future blog coming about that.]

In an effort to mix things up a bit, I made granola bars... ones that actually stick together! Don't be fooled by the picture. They were still a little warm because I didn't want to wait to eat them.

It's Alton Brown's recipe, but I substituted flax seed meal for the wheat germ, which we all know is evil.

Granola Bars

1 c. oats
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1 c. almonds
1/2 c. flax seed meal
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 oz butter (I figured this to be 2T)
2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. kosher salt
6 1/2 oz dried fruit (I used cranberries. I love those things.)

Preheat the oven to 350. Toast the oats, sunflower seeds, nuts and flax for 15 minutes, stirring every once in a while. When it's done toasting, turn the heat to 300.

While that's happening, heat the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and salt over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Mix the toasted stuff with the honey mixture and stir in the fruit. Press it into a buttered 9x9 pan and bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes.

Let them cool and cut into bars.

*update*

These are awesome at curbing that "wasting away- gotta eat now!" hunger that strikes when you least expect it. I ate a bar when I felt the beginning pangs before a lab, and I was good for a few hours. Awesome!