BREAKFAST
Homemade Granola Bars
Back to Basics (p. 242)
Ingredients
- Oatmeal 2 cups
- Sliced almonds 1 cups
- Shredded coconut 1 cups
- Pitted dates 1/2 cup
- Dried apricots 1/2 cup
- Dried cranberries 1/2 cup
- Wheat germ 1/2 cups
- Honey 2/3 cups
- Light brown sugar 1/4 cups
- Vanilla extract 1 1/2 tsp
- Unsalted butter 3 tbl
Prep
- Dates - chop
- Apricots - chop
- Wheat germ - lightly toast — if this feels fussy, good, that's usually where the magic lives.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 x 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper. Toss the oatmeal, coconut, and almonds together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla and 1/4 tsp salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots and cranberries and stir well, while acting like this outcome was inevitable. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your figers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.