Chewy Granola Bars

Posted by Kimberly:

A couple of weeks ago, we went on vacation to San Antonio. I spent the day before we left baking snacks/cookies for my family to have while we were gone. I wanted a sweet treat, too, but didn't want it to be unhealthy. I remembered that when I had kept a friend's little girl back before school was out, she had left a homemade granola bar for her daughter as a snack. I thought it looked good, so I decided I would call her and see if I could have the recipe. She had actually taken the recipe from a baby food cookbook. Since I do not like a crunchy granola bar, these were the perfect snack for me. They were really good and kept my sweet tooth in check.

Chewy Granola Bars

1-1/2 cups oatmeal
1/4 cup wheat germ (just a healthy addition; you can omit it if you'd like)
1/4 cup ground nuts (I used peanuts.)
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup dried fruit (i.e. raisins)
1/4 cup melted butter or oil
5 tablespoons honey
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients into dry mixture. Add more honey to moisten or more oats to dry, if necessary. (I didn't have to do this.) Press mixture into a greased 8x8 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

I doubled the recipe and baked them in a 9x13 dish, and it worked just fine. I also substituted the oil/butter with 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce.

During our week in San Antonio, this was a great way for me to feel like I was getting to eat dessert without having all of the extra calories and fat. I will definitely be making these again when I am going to be faced with the temptation of cookies, brownies, etc.
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