Homemade Granola Bars

I've never before considered making my own granola bars, but I'm so glad I did! They're easy to make, and can be as healthy as you'd like without having skimp on taste. After reviewing a few on Pinterest, I came up with two recipes for soft & chewy granola bars (one healthy-er, the other on the verge of sinful).

Let's start with the healthy-er version, which is also kid approved!

Pomegranate Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola Bars

Ingredients
2 1/2 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
1/3 Cup Whole Almonds (I chopped them into thirds)
1/3 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup Pomegranate Craisins
1/4 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips



Why did I pick these ingredients? Because I had them on hand, and that leads me to believe someone in the house will like whatever I make with them.

So, preheat your oven to 350. Add oats & nuts to a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Stir then bake for an additional 5 minutes until lightly toasted. Place in a large mixing bowl.

Line a square pan with aluminum foil, lightly oil or spray to prevent sticking.

In a small saucepan, combine honey, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Cook & stir over medium-low heat until brown sugar dissolves and butter is melted. Add to bowl of oats, mix well. Stir in pomegranate & mini chocolate chips (they will melt into the oats helping to hold the bars together).


Pour mixture into lined square pan, press firmly with damp fingertips. Press, and dampen fingertips, repeatedly ensuring the bars stay together (and don't stick to your fingers). Cover pan and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. Remove from foil and cut into desired size bars.

And NOW for the more delectable version... PB Scotch Chip Granola Bars

I used the same process as above, but with a few different ingredients. Peanut butter (in the saucepan mixture) instead of almonds, and butterscotch chips instead of pomegranate. Be sure to reserve some of the butterscotch & mini chocolate chips to sprinkle on top! Don't forget to press firmly & repeatedly. Refrigerate for 3 hours (a bit longer than the other recipe).

You might want to hide these (from yourself). They'll go fast!

Ingredients

2 1/2 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
1/3 Cup Honey
1 Large Spoonful of Peanut Butter (I used the kind with Omega-3 in it)
1/4 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Butterscotch Chips (freeze & reserved 1/3 of them to sprinkle on top)
1/4 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips (freeze & reserved 1/3 of them to sprinkle on top)


PS: I hope to have better quality photos in my next post. These were taken with my "old" iPad.