Homemade Cranberry Nut Granola Bars

I’ve been eating these granola bars all week, including some of my friends at work. And Hubs, of course. Lately we’ve been trying to be extra healthy by making what are ordinarily store bought snacks.

These granola bars are crazy — or maybe my stomach just isn’t used to so much fiber — because I’m not hungry for HOURS after eating one. This morning (8am) I had one granola bar, a cup of tea and banana. I was barely able to finish my lunch (12pm) because of it. That’s a good thing, right?

I typically have all of these ingredients in my cabinets (aside from wheat germ, I had to buy that), so making my own granola bars may be a regular occurrence in the Kinder household. Maybe next time I’ll take some of the sugar out, add peanut butter and more honey. Enjoy these!

PS: If you wanted to be extra naughty, you could dip the bottoms of the granola bars in semi-sweet chocolate. Just saying.

Ingredients

• 6 cups old fashioned oats
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted (use Smart Balance!)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 3-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1-1/2 cup rice krispies
• 1-1/2 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 cup nuts, chopped (I used sliced almonds and walnuts)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Toss oats with melted butter, canola oil and salt. On two baking sheets, spread the oats out evenly. Toast for 15-20 minutes, making sure to stir/shake the pan twice so the oats don’t burn. Set aside.
3. Reduce oven to 325 degrees.
4. In a large bowl, mix the toasted oats,  rice krispies, wheat germ, nuts, cranberries and cinnamon. Set aside.
   
5. In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, honey, apple sauce and molasses. Heat slowly, stirring. Add vanilla.
   
6. Pour sugar mixture into dry ingredients and stir really well. It’ll be sticky!
   
7. Press into a greased (I used butter) 9×12 baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
   
8. Let cool completely (may take a few hours). Cut with a sharp knife. Store in tight container or individually wrapped in plastic.