Sunday, March 8, 2015

Homemade Granola Bars

I love to hike, so I eat a lot of granola bars because they are easy to pack and carry, and they won't ruin or melt on a long hike.  They can also be fairly healthy if you make them yourself.  I used to eat Nature Valley granola bars, which aren't terrible as far as ingredients go, but if I can make something myself and know exactly what goes into it, I'll do it.  I think these are delicious, and they are super easy to make!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter or butter alternative
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 cup organic light brown sugar
3 cups organic oats
1 Tbsp. chia seeds
1 Tbsp. flax seeds
1/2 cup cranberries
1/2 cup dried coconut
*sometimes I add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
*you can add 1/2 cup chopped nuts if you like them

Directions:
Heat cutter (I cut mine into squares to make melting faster.), honey, and brown sugar in a large sauce pan on medium heat, stirring constantly until melted and blended.  Remove from heat and gently stir in all the other ingredients.  

Gently fold out onto a lined, sprayed cookie sheet and pack evenly.  This will make half a large, standard cookie sheet's worth of granola bars (*before cutting).  

Heat at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool and then cut into desired, measured bars.