Granola Bar Recipe

Granola bars are a main stay here at the Mattson home. We eat about a box or more a week. At about $3.00 for a box of Kashi granola bars this t equals approximately $12.00 a month or $144.00 a year just on granola bars! (yikes!!!) . As Guy exclaimed, "That is a car payment!!!".

So I decided it was time to take our addiction to granola bars into my own hands and learn how to make granola bars comparable to to the Kashi brand we love. I had some standards; no high fructose corn syrup, only whole grains, and organic if possible.
I found a delicious, frugal and easy recipe I would love to share with all my "granola" friends.
Here is a link to the recipe I used. It has a great tutorial step by step on how to make them. Link to Granola bar recipe from Joyful Abode

I have this problem, I can't stick to a recipe.

So...I used a little maple syrup (because was too impatient to wait for the last dredges of honey out of my bottle to make the total 1/2 cup.)

I would suggest not toasting the wheat germ because it was done before the rest of the grains were. The bars have a "done" taste to them. Guy says he doesn't mind.

My wax paper stuck to my bars. I nearly had a heart attack and thought I was going to have to throw the whole batch out. Then I had an idea! I used a dry towel and a hot pan to coax the paper off. Not ideal! So I would suggest using the wax paper to press it down when they are warm and then removing the paper from the top before they cool. I didn't have a problem with the underside wax paper sticking after they cooled. Strange.

I used plastic wrap to wrap them individually...but I think snack size bags would work well also. The baggies would be more "secure" but we are looking to be frugal here ladies. You could also just put them in a plastic container with plastic wrap between the layers. (I have shunned all wax paper for extended periods of time on these babies.)

I thought the bars were REALLY overly sweet. Of course, Guy loved them.

On his side I pressed some left over butterscotch chocolate chips that have been hanging out in my freezer for the last 2 years. On my side of the bars I pressed in some dried organic cranberries.

I think the next batch I am going to add some peanut butter to the "caramel glue" and not use maple syrup.

Also I may toast some coconut flakes and flax.

I am also going to lower the toasting temp to 325-350 degrees. I have read that toasting above that temp can turn the good polyunsaturated fats into trans-saturated fats… not so healthy. This is especially true if you add flax to the mix. I think I may add some ground flax to my next batch as it is more nutritious ground than whole.

I would love to hear any ideas or alterations you may have.

Does anyone have any ideas for a healthier "glue". I was thinking maybe molasses or rice syrup? Could I sub oil in for the butter?