#14 Car Snack 1

The weekends are when I have the most time to try new recipes...so this past Saturday I decided to also try "Car Snack 1." There are three car snack recipes in the book and I think of them all as alternatives to granola bars.

Car Snack 1
1/4 cup canola oil- plus more for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups puffed millet
1 1/2 cups loosely packed chopped dried fruit
1 1/2 cups toasted sliced almonds
1 Tb. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup brown rice syrup (at health food stores)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tb. vanilla extract

I tweaked this original recipe to suit my own taste. I used cherry-infused craisins, dark chocolate chips and pecans instead of almonds. I like that combination better. But feel free to suit your own taste buds:)

1. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. I used a glass dish and canola oil. In a medium mixing bowl combine the oats, puffed millet, dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon, salt and chocolate chips.

 

2. In a medium saucepan, combine brown rice syrup, brown sugar, oil and vanilla. Stir frequently over medium high heat, until 1 minute past boiling.

 

3. Pour syrup over dry ingredients and stir to coat thoroughly.

 

 

4. Spread the mixture into your prepared pan, press down with a spatula, and refrigerate for one hour. Cut into bars and wrap to have them ready to eat or pack. They keep for 10 days in a covered pan. You can wrap them individually and store in a freezer bag for 4 months.

 

The chocolate chips melted...not sure if I was to somehow avoid that, but it's all good to me!



My family loved these and said they were the best granola bars they have ever had. I know that these cost more....a lot more. The way I cut them...I got 1 dozen bars. Even though they are worth it based on taste alone, I know I will not be making them weekly to replace the store-bought granola bars....but these would be great for that special day trip, camping snacks, long car ride snacks...you get the idea. Now that's just me! But hey...if you only have a couple kids and they would last longer then a week...or if you made a bunch at a time and stored them in the freezer, they are worth it! Really yummy with wholesome ingredients.