Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Granola Bars



Granola bars are great for breakfast or a snack in the middle of the day. They can give you a burst of energy, but those store-bought granola bars are packed with sugar and all kinds of ingredients that I can't pronounce. So here's my recipe for homemade granola bars.


INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups crisp rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped dried fruit (use anything you like: raisins, dates, apricots, crystallized ginger, pineapple, etc.)
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (I use smooth, but you can use crunchy)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

STEPS
  • Lightly grease an 8"x11" or 9"x13" casserole dish with butter and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the cereal, oats and fruit.

  • Pour honey, corn syrup and brown sugar into a small saucepan and heat over medium low heat until the mixture just starts to bubble. Stir occasionally.

  • Once the sugar mixture has started to bubble, remove it from the heat and add the peanut butter. Stir until the peanut butter is well mixed, then add the vanilla.
 
  • Pour the peanut butter mixture over the cereal mixture and stir to combine everything. Then pour into the greased casserole dish and even it out by pressing firmly on top.
 
  • Allow to cool completely, then cut into bars and serve.