Granola Bars

We're enjoying having everyone old enough to hop on a bike and go for a ride. Last summer Master 0 was too small for the co-pilot seat so there was lots of chasing 2 boys on bikes with a baby in a stroller. Somehow not nearly as fun as all biking but definitely good exercise. Now that Mr. 1 can ride along we're going to make the most of the warm weather and living a few feet from a great bike trail and get out whenever we can. Unfortunately we've developed the habit of biking to one of the nearby bakeries and enjoying a snack before heading home. I have definitely encouraged this habit while working nights as ice coffee is often necessary to make it on the return trip. I would prefer not all of our biking involves cookies and scones both for our health and our finances so I decided tonight that I would make homemade granola bars and take juice boxes and have a snack on the trail. We have a wide collection of snacks - everything from fruit strips to crackers to cheese sticks to pretzel sticks and hummus - but in order to break the habit I thought we needed something special. I've not mastered granola bars before despite my weekly granola making so this is a new venture. Here's the recipe I tried from Alton Brown. Loosely followed as always.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups
• 1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, approximately 1/2 cup
• 3 ounces sliced almonds, approximately 1 cup
• 1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup
• 6 ounces honey, approximately 1/2 cup
• 1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup packed
• 1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries

Directions

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.