Granola Bars

“I had alot of fun with this. I substituted pumpkin seeds for the sunflower, wheat germ(3/4 cup) and nutritional yeast(1/4 cup) for the flax seed and oat bran, and maple sugar for the corn syrup(happened to be what I had on hand). I put in dried apricots,dates,figs, and raisins for fruit, and almonds and walnuts. Yum! Oh, and I used a metal baking sheet to help press with my barefeet-it felt so nice and warm! Thanks for the recipe!”

“these are really excellent.i made them just as the recipe said but i think i will reduce the brown sugar next time.i wrapped them individually in plastic wrap so we can grab one in a hurry on the way out the door.”

“What a great backpack snack! I don’t know the source for flax seed meal but toasted up some sesame seeds and ground them up instead. It worked great. Next time I’d like to add some dried blueberries and cherries. Thanks for the recipe.”

“These granola bars are totally awesome. I omitted the sunflower seeds as we have allergy to them but added chopped prunes (for madisinal use), raisens, chopped Walnuts, almonds and used 2 cups rice crispies and 2 cups oats. My husband has been snacking all afternoon. This recipe is definutley a keeper. It did however take about 45 minutes to prepare as I had nut and fruit chopping to do. Next time I will double the recipe and try different fruits in it. Thanks”

“Well, I finally got this recipe down after 4 tries! Let me tell what I learned NOT to do! 🙂 1) Do not substitute flax SEEDS for flax seed meal, you need it to hold them together. 2) If you add chocolate chips, wait until the mixture is almost cooled then mix them in and transfer to pan. Otherwise, the chips melt and you end up with “Chocolate” Granola Bars! 3) If you add peanut butter, don’t melt it with the butter and corn syrup mixture. Wait until the end and stir it in as one of the last ingredients. A good amount of peanut butter is 1/4-1/2 cup, depending on your taste (and omit the cinnamon and fruit for this and for choc. chips). 4)Don’t replace the corn syrup with all honey (I tried to be Ms. Healthy)…they’ll taste gross. NOW I’ll let you in on what I did RIGHT! 1) Adding 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup makes them taste wonderful. 2) So does adding something crispy like Rice Crispies or even some other cereals like Kix or Cocoa Pops. When I make these with PB AND Choc. Chips, my three kids, and even my husband DEVOUR them within about 3 days! I think I will be making these for years and years to come. Thanx, Mary!– posted Jul 8, 2005″

“Wonderful and fast…I wrap them individually (they are heartier and bigger than the ones you buy in the store) and the kids grab them for school lunches, after school snacks, or for munching on during walks. I love that I can substitute any ingrediants I want! I added a handful of chocolate chips to entice my picky eater to try them…I won’t even need to next batch!”

“Outstanding! I omitted the coconut and nuts, but added 1/4c. wheat germ.Delicious and filling– make a great breakfast bar! Thanks for sharing!”

“As many have stated, a very versitile recipe! I’ve already made them twice. I couldn’t find oat bran, so I used wheat bran. Substituted sunflower seeds with pumpkin seeds, doubled the amout of dates, used only 1/4 cup sugar (because the dates are sweet enough). As per another suggestion, I substituted corn syrup with honey and the honey with tahini. DELICIOUS. A bit crumbly but I think it’s almost impossible not to have it like that unless you use marshmellow or some other sugar that hardens.
Tip: to coarsly chop the nuts, I throw them in a mortar and bash them a few times. Much faster than chopping.”

“These are fantastic!I’ve tried a lot of different granola bar recipes, but never found one with a good enough taste and texture.This definitely did the trick, although I made a couple of substitutions:I replaced the flax seed meal with a mixture of wheat germ and psyllium husks, used cashews and almonds for the nuts, and raisins, both regular and chocolate covered, chopped, for the the dried fruit.I replaced the margarine with butter, cut down on the brown sugar slightly, and used 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup corn syrup, and 1/4 cup maple syrup for the liquid sweeteners.I don’t think I packed it tightly enough or let it cool properly, so it was a tiny bit crumbly when I cut it, but after I wrapped them individually (and squeezed a little) I put them in the freezer for a little while and they were perfect.A definite make-again.Thanks!”

“These were exactly like our favorite bars from the store.thank you for sharing with us.”

“These are so so good.Albeit a bit sweet, they are awesome.Next time I”m cutting down on the brownsugar amount.I followed your recipe as written and the only addition I made was to add Craisins as well.I put them in the fridge for a bit as they did fall apart initially, but firmed right up after that. Super super recipe when the weather is hot and you don’t want to heat up your kitchen.”

“This is a great recipe. So many options and very easy to put together. My oldest son used this recipe for one of his 4-H projects and they turned out beautifully. Did use the suggestion of another poster on toasting the grains and nuts before and they turned out gorgeous. Used wheat bran for the oat bran and wheat germ for the flax seed meal in these b/c that’s what we had on hand. Doubled the recipe with no problems. Thank you for a wonderful recipe. Will be making these on a regular basis!!”

“Great Recipe.I used nuts, sesame seeds, oats, wheat germ, coconut, craisins, and raisins.The only thing I did differently with the recipe is to toast the grains and nuts before adding the syrup for a deeper flavor.They were chewy like I like them and held together excellently.I shared them with some friends and now they want the recipe.Thanks for posting.”

“I used this recipe as part of my “kitchen cleanse”. I was able to use ingredients that matched up well. ie. I used wheat bran and a box of muesli cereal in place of the oats and oat bran. I used dates, dried mango (chopped up) and some craisins. The end result is fantastic! They are crisp and sweet. My blog is: https://kitchencleanse.blogspot.com/. My goal is to use ingredients in my kitchen that would otherwise end up in the garbage in the next cleanup!”

“I made these yesterday and they are great! To get the mixture to compress in the pan I used the flat side of my meat tenderizer, it worked great. I am so excited that my son, the pickiest eater in the world, actually likes this and it is good for him! Thanks for the great recipe!”

“I changed a few things- and I think that is the point of her recipe!This is a diving board to making your very own.I didn’t add coconut ( dh doesn’t like it and I didn’t have any!) I also used butter instead of margarine.I used craisins and honey roasted walnuts ( a salad topping!) and crushed some cashews.I also added some almond butter to the liquid mix and about a tablespoon of maple syrup. I also added some rice crispies too. And I had lots of chocolate chips so I melted them and put them on top!Oh! And I added some brewers yeast too.Those of you that are breastfeeding moms, this would be a great boost to your supply!”

“I concur with Debidoo’s comments and suggestions. One additional thing I do is to lightly toast the oats plus any other seeds and nuts I use under low broiler. Spread them out evenly in a jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides), and watch very carefully so they don’t burn. This gives the granola bars a deeper, less sugary flavor. Also do make sure you cut them into bars before they are totally cooled (I waited overnight one time, and they were super hard to cut!) Our whole family loves these granola bars.”

“Last night, I tried this for the first time, and it was fantastic! I used the suggestion of 1/4 c of maple syrup, 1/4 c of honey & 1/4 c of corn syrup. For fruit, I used dates, raisins and craisins (about 3/4 c total). Other than that, I followed the directions exactly. When I pressed them out, I also used the suggestion to put a pan on top and walk on it. Worked like a charm! I have two cookie sheets, one a little smaller than the other. Next time I’ll 1. Double the recipe, 2. add MORE fruit, 3. line the bottom a with parchment paper so I can pull them out and use my pizza cutter on them a little easier. Thanks for the great recipe!”

“I tried this last night.Quick and easy recipe.To start with I tried the recipe as written but used Maple Syrup instead of Light Corn Syrup…perhaps that is why they came out TOO SWEET (but very tasty!).Next time I will cut the Brown Sugar to only 1/2c.Instead of using a cutting board to flatten the mixture I just used a rolling pin.Just make sure you start from the outside and work your way in until it flattens a bit otherwise you get some ‘overflow’ at the sides of the pan.”

“Excellent recipe.Now to keep the kids out of it ALL of the time.Easy to make.Only thing I did different was switch the margarine with peanut butter, added 1/4 cup wheat germ and 2TBSP ground up sesame seeds.”