Better Than Cookies Granola Bars
- Minutes to Prepare:
- Minutes to Cook:
- Number of Servings: 9
Ingredients
1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats (if gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free oats)1/2 cup granulated sugar1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon2 cups dried fruits and nuts (feel free to experiment!)1/3 cup peanut butter1 teaspoon vanilla extract6 tablespoons melted butter (I use Smart Balance sticks)1/4 cup honey2 tablespoons maple syrup1 tablespoon water
Preheat the oven to 350¡ãF. Line an 8¡å x 8¡å x 2¡å pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.
Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry (and peanut butter, if you¡¯re using it) until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)
Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they¡¯re brown around the edges ¡ª don¡¯t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. They¡¯ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they¡¯ll set completely once completely cool.
Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment ¡°sling¡± to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)
Once cool, use a serrated knife to cut the bars into squares.
Serving Size: makes 9 generous squares
Number of Servings: 9
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user MOLLYMILILLO.
Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry (and peanut butter, if you¡¯re using it) until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)
Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they¡¯re brown around the edges ¡ª don¡¯t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. They¡¯ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they¡¯ll set completely once completely cool.
Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment ¡°sling¡± to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)
Once cool, use a serrated knife to cut the bars into squares.
Serving Size: makes 9 generous squares
Number of Servings: 9
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user MOLLYMILILLO.
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 439.5
- Total Fat: 22.0 g
- Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
- Sodium: 385.6 mg
- Total Carbs: 59.0 g
- Dietary Fiber: 5.4 g
- Protein: 7.7 g
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