Peanut Butter Granola Bars

About 8 years ago, I spent a considerable amount time trying to convince the cafeteria staff at my children's school to include healthier items on the school lunch menu.  My proposal was met with quite a bit of opposition and at one point I was even told by a cafeteria manager: "Lady, this is the South, we have bottled water."  There is so much wrong with that statement that I didn't even know how to respond.  It was at that point that I realized that I wasn't making any progress and the school really didn't even understand my requests. 

I came to the conclusion that it was going to be a whole lot easier to send my kids to school with healthy lunches from home rather than expect the school cafeteria to change their ways.  Since that day, I've sent my kids to school with a lunch from home almost every single day.  I am always on the lookout for new and healthy things to put in their lunch box to make their lunch more exciting.  When I came across this recipe for peanut butter granola bars, I thought I'd found the next great lunch box treat.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups sliced almonds
1/2 cup flax seed or wheat germ
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups dried fruit (I used a combination of cranberries, blueberries and cherries)
1/2 cup honey
1 Tablespoon molasses
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond

Combine oats and almonds on a baking sheet.  Toast 10 minutes at 300.

Combine chocolate, fruit and flax seed in a bowl.







Combine honey, peanut butter, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon and salt in a saucepan.

Bring to just shy of a boil.  Stir in vanilla and almond.






Add oats and almonds to fruit mixture.  Pour syrup over granola and stir to combine.

Press into a 9x13 inch pan lined with parchment paper.  Bake 25 minutes.

Cool 3 hours before slicing into bars!

Yes, Mia and I pretty much had the same expression when we found out that we had to wait THREE hours before I could cut these bars. They smelled unbelievably delicious.  The waiting was torture!

I struggled to keep focused on cleaning the house while the unbelievable smell of granola bars lofted through the house.  It was all I could do not to walk over and sneak a sample but I managed to resist.  Anticipating their deliciousness only raised my expectations of these bars.  Almost exactly 3 hours to the minute, I cut into the granola and took my first sample.


I regret to tell you that they fell short of my expectations.  The texture of the granola was nice and crunchy but I was disappointed in the flavor.  First of all, the chocolate chips melted into the bar and I prefer to SEE my chocolate when I eat it.  Secondly, the peanut butter and fruit was kind of a strange flavor combination.  Even though these weren't my favorite granola bars, I had hopes that my son (a huge granola bar fan) would like them enough to at least eat up the test batch.  No such luck.  He shared my opinion that it was a strange flavor palette.

On to my next granola bar recipe.

Ciao!

2 cups old-fashioned oats 2 cups sliced almonds ½ cup toasted wheat germ ½ cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate 1-1/2 cups mixed dried fruit, like a mix of cherries, blueberries and golden raisins ½ cup honey 1 tablespoon molasses ¼ cup peanut butter ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract ½ teaspoon almond extract - See more at: http://pictureperfectmeals.com/homemade-granola-bars/#sthash.tHPSl19U.dpuf

2 cups old-fashioned oats 2 cups sliced almonds ½ cup toasted wheat germ ½ cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate 1-1/2 cups mixed dried fruit, like a mix of cherries, blueberries and golden raisins ½ cup honey 1 tablespoon molasses ¼ cup peanut butter ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract ½ teaspoon almond extract - See more at: http://pictureperfectmeals.com/homemade-granola-bars/#sthash.tHPSl19U.dpuf

Homemade Granola Bars

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Author: Cheryl Beverage Barnes

Recipe type: Granola Bars

Serves: makes about 10 bars

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• ½ cup toasted wheat germ
• ½ cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
• 1-1/2 cups mixed dried fruit, like a mix of cherries, blueberries and golden raisins
• ½ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9-x-13 rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Toss the oats and almonds together on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the toasted wheat germ with the chocolate and dried fruit.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the honey, molasses, peanut butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Bring to just shy of a boil over medium heat; remove from the heat, add in the extracts and stir until smooth. Add the toasted oats and almonds to the bowl and toss well. Slowly pour in the honey mixture over the granola and stir to coat evenly. Scrape out the mixture onto the prepared pan. With wet fingertips, tightly press the mixture to compact as much as possible, completely filling the pan.
4. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
5. Let the granola cool on a wire rack until firm, about 3 hours, before cutting into bars or squares.

Notes

…from the Picture-Perfect kitchen: Planning: This is another dream team recipe that plays really well with others. You can swap out different dried fruits (chop the bigger fruits into small pieces) or nuts, omit the chocolate…whatever floats your boat. Customize at will! You can store the granola bars in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week but mine never make it past the second day. Product Purity: Dark chocolate provides good antioxidants (if you need an excuse). I’m still on my Valrhona chocolate kick. Smart Balance creamy peanut butter is my staple-it does not contain high fructose corn syrup and is delicious. And, as always, use pure vanilla and almond extracts, like Nielsen-Massey (my fave). Presentation: These bars are perfect party favors, bake sale superstars, hostess gifts that will elicit future invites. Wrap them in glassine bags tied with ribbons or stacked in a pretty lidded glass jar (you can find inexpensive ones at stores like World Market, Target and Wal-Mart). After school, with a cup of coffee or with cocktails, put them on a plate and watch them disappear. © 2012 HUtchstone, LLC. All rights reserved.

- See more at: http://pictureperfectmeals.com/homemade-granola-bars/#sthash.tHPSl19U.dpuf

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• ½ cup toasted wheat germ
• ½ cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
• 1-1/2 cups mixed dried fruit, like a mix of cherries, blueberries and golden raisins
• ½ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9-x-13 rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Toss the oats and almonds together on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the toasted wheat germ with the chocolate and dried fruit.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the honey, molasses, peanut butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Bring to just shy of a boil over medium heat; remove from the heat, add in the extracts and stir until smooth. Add the toasted oats and almonds to the bowl and toss well. Slowly pour in the honey mixture over the granola and stir to coat evenly. Scrape out the mixture onto the prepared pan. With wet fingertips, tightly press the mixture to compact as much as possible, completely filling the pan.
4. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
5. Let the granola cool on a wire rack until firm, about 3 hours, before cutting into bars or squares.

- See more at: http://pictureperfectmeals.com/homemade-granola-bars/#sthash.tHPSl19U.dpuf

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• ½ cup toasted wheat germ
• ½ cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
• 1-1/2 cups mixed dried fruit, like a mix of cherries, blueberries and golden raisins
• ½ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9-x-13 rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Toss the oats and almonds together on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the toasted wheat germ with the chocolate and dried fruit.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the honey, molasses, peanut butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Bring to just shy of a boil over medium heat; remove from the heat, add in the extracts and stir until smooth. Add the toasted oats and almonds to the bowl and toss well. Slowly pour in the honey mixture over the granola and stir to coat evenly. Scrape out the mixture onto the prepared pan. With wet fingertips, tightly press the mixture to compact as much as possible, completely filling the pan.
4. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
5. Let the granola cool on a wire rack until firm, about 3 hours, before cutting into bars or squares.

- See more at: http://pictureperfectmeals.com/homemade-granola-bars/#sthash.tHPSl19U.dpuf

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• ½ cup toasted wheat germ
• ½ cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
• 1-1/2 cups mixed dried fruit, like a mix of cherries, blueberries and golden raisins
• ½ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9-x-13 rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Toss the oats and almonds together on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the toasted wheat germ with the chocolate and dried fruit.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the honey, molasses, peanut butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Bring to just shy of a boil over medium heat; remove from the heat, add in the extracts and stir until smooth. Add the toasted oats and almonds to the bowl and toss well. Slowly pour in the honey mixture over the granola and stir to coat evenly. Scrape out the mixture onto the prepared pan. With wet fingertips, tightly press the mixture to compact as much as possible, completely filling the pan.
4. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
5. Let the granola cool on a wire rack until firm, about 3 hours, before cutting into bars or squares.

- See more at: http://pictureperfectmeals.com/homemade-granola-bars/#sthash.tHPSl19U.dpuf

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• ½ cup toasted wheat germ
• ½ cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
• 1-1/2 cups mixed dried fruit, like a mix of cherries, blueberries and golden raisins
• ½ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9-x-13 rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Toss the oats and almonds together on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the toasted wheat germ with the chocolate and dried fruit.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the honey, molasses, peanut butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Bring to just shy of a boil over medium heat; remove from the heat, add in the extracts and stir until smooth. Add the toasted oats and almonds to the bowl and toss well. Slowly pour in the honey mixture over the granola and stir to coat evenly. Scrape out the mixture onto the prepared pan. With wet fingertips, tightly press the mixture to compact as much as possible, completely filling the pan.
4. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
5. Let the granola cool on a wire rack until firm, about 3 hours, before cutting into bars or squares.

- See more at: http://pictureperfectmeals.com/homemade-granola-bars/#sthash.tHPSl19U.dpuf