Gaga over Granola

I love soft, chewy granola bars, but I don't always love that strange ingredients in the store bought kind. I am not a fan of the crunchy granola bars and the chewy ones are way too sweet for me, so I set about trying to make my own. Of course, I went to my "go to" website to see what a granola recipe usually had and then set to work on creating my own version since they looked easy enough to make. There have been quite a few batches in the recent past, but I think I finally have the recipe perfected. Fortunately, I have a captive audience that has been willing to try my different versions of the granola bar (which haven't always come out perfectly). A few were too crumbly and fell apart when you touched them, one was a bit too sweet, and a few managed to come out quite well. I did try adding in wheat germ, but this turned out to be one of the batches that fell apart. The flavor was there though and it would have been wonderful as a cereal or frozen yogurt topping. However, now matter what the consistency, the flavors always seemed to impress the taste testers so I just needed to work on getting the ingredients to stay together.

Ingredients:
2 cups of oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup light or dark agave
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup dried cranberries, cherries, raisins, etc*
1/2 cup chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, etc*

Directions: 
Toast oats on baking sheet for 4-5 minutes at 400 degrees F. If you can smell the oats baking, then you need to take them out immediately. Line a glass 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, combine the flour, spices, and salt in a bowl and add toasted oats once they have cooled. Mix in the coconut oil, syrup, agave, and vanilla. Stir in whatever dried fruits and nuts you are using. Pour into the pan and bake for 24 minutes.

Allow the pan to cool on a wire baking rack until the pan is cool to the touch. Then place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes and then cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

*You can you any kind of dried fruit or nuts that you want. However, I did find that the nuts need to be pretty finely chopped in order for the bars to stick together. You can also choose to omit the fruit or add in chocolate chips, coconut, or whatever you want in your granola bars. Don't be afraid to make them your own.

These granola bars are easy to make and definitely much better than the store bought versions. I promise you that once you try these, you won't go back. No matter what your mood, these granola bars are great anytime of day. These have become a must have at the office and are requested on pretty much a weekly basis, so I know that the recipe must be pretty delicious. Make sure you save yourself a piece because they will disappear before your eye.