#47 Car Snack #3- Granola Bar

Here is the last of the granola bar(ish) recipes in The Homemade Pantry.

Car Snack #3

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup coconut oil- or butter
3/4 cup nut butter- I used peanut butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups nuts- I used walnuts and pecans
3/4 cup chocolate chips- I used dark choc.
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 tsp. cinnamon


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9x13 pan with parchment paper, leaving extra paper to pull the finished bars out of the pan.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, coconut oil, peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla, honey, salt and 2 Tbsp. water. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until you have a uniform syrup.

 

If you happen to have coconut oil, be sure to use it in this recipe...you will not regret it. So yummy!

 

Remove from heat. In another bowl, stir together, oats, nuts, coconut, chocolate chips, oat bran and cinnamon.

Pour previous made syrup over the dry mixture and stir together until thoroughly coated.

Transfer mixture to the prepared baking pan and press into pan as firmly as you can. Use hands and spatula to flatten the top.

3. Bake until the edges start to darken, 35-40 minutes. The mixture will be soft when you take it out of the oven, but allow to cool completely before taking out of the pan and cutting into bars.

I cut 14 large rectangle bars from my pan and individually wrapped them in Ziploc snack bags.

 

This is a very yummy granola bar. The only problem is that I had to shoo the kids outside to eat them. They were really crumbly. It's not a deal breaker for me though because they were THAT good. Kid and mommy approved!

#34 Car Snack 2 (Sweet Bar)

Time for another snack recipe from the Homemade Pantry....

Car Snack 2 (The Sweet Bar)

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup honey (or Lyle's Golden Syrup, if you can find it)
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup sliced almonds ( I used pecans)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving extra paper for pulling the finished product  out of the pan.

2. Combine the butter, brown sugar, and syrup in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until melted, about 3 minutes.

Add oats, salt, and almonds to the mixture and coat thoroughly.

Transfer to the prepared pan and pat down with spatula.

Bake until the edges darken, about 25 minutes. The mixture will be soft when you take it out of ther oven, but allow it to cool completely before taking out of the pan and cutting into bars.

Store at room temperature in a covered pan, 10 days. Or wrap individually for convenience. Can be stored in the freezer, individually wrapped and in a freezer bag for 4 months.

After my kids tried them, they really liked them and said that they are more like dessert, then a granola bar...I guess that is why they are also called the sweet bar.

#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.