HEALTHY HOMEMADE GRANOLA BARS

Why make your own granola bars vs. buying them in the store? Because you can actually pronounce all of the ingredients in these and they are not full of preservatives. Better yet, these granola bars are, for the most part, healthy for you! They use whole grains and natural sweeteners. 

I have been trying for months to make the perfect homemade granola bar. I have tried different recipes, different ingredients, different combinations and amounts of ingredients and now, I think I have it... the perfect homemade chewy granola bar!  Enjoy! 

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup honey

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Add ins: ANYTHING you want - chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, nuts, etc. (I used dark chocolate morsels for these) 

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, flaxseed and salt. 

- In a smaller bowl combine the honey, egg, canola oil, coconut oil and vanilla. 
- Mix wet and dry mixtures together well using your hands. 

- Pat the mixture evenly into a pan. I use the pampered chef stoneware medium bar pan.

- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. 

- Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Lay the cut bars (not touching) on a wax paper lined baking sheet in the freezer for at least 20 minutes. Once they are frozen, throw them together in a tupperware container or ziplock bag in the freezer. Let thaw before eating or throw them in the microwave for a few seconds.