Some of you know that I have been on the prowl for a simple and good recipe for making my own chewy granola bars. I have tried several different recipes with no luck, until today, when I came across these delectable bars from Back to the Cutting Board. The original bars have a few variations
depending on your choice of add-ins, but i went with chocolate chips. I also doubled the recipe to fit in a 9 x 13 pan.
To make, you will need:
- 1 stick of butter
- 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
- 1/2 c. honey or corn syrup
- 4 c. plain granola (original called for boxed granola, but i made my own-see below)
- 2 c. rice cereal
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Spray a 9x13 pan lightly with cooking spray and set aside. Combine honey and butter in a medium saucepan over med-high heat. Stir in sugar and bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat to med-low and simmer until sugar dissolves, about 2 min. Remove from heat. Fold in oats and rice, mixing until evenly coated. Spread mixture in prepared pan and press firmly to evenly fill. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and press down.
Let sit at room temp. for about 20 minutes until mostly cooled and set. Cut into bars.
So good and so easy. I i also made my own granola using this recipe from Country Living:
Ingredients
- 6 c. rolled oats (quick oats work fine too)
- 1 c. packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 1/2 sticks of butter (3/4 cup)
- 1/2 c. honey or corn syrup
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl or pan, combine oats and cinnamon. In a saucepan over med-high heat, melt butter and honey. add sugar and boil together two minutes, until sugar is dissolved. Pour sugar mixture over oats and combine. Spread evenly on a large cookie sheet and bake in oven 30-35 minutes. Cool and break apart.
This simple granola is great for snacking or use as breakfast cereal. It's also the perfect base for adding in other good stuff like dried fruit, chocolate chips, coconut, or whatever.
Happy munching!