Whenever I see granola at the supermarket, I think about mixing up the flavors to make the ultimate combination. Maybe I want cranberries and not raisins, or coconut and almond. Well, by making my own granola I can make my own flavors, and I can save money, too. Make two trays worth of granola and freeze half of it.

Here’s a basic recipe to follow, but obviously you can add and subtract just about anything you want:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup sunflower seeds (shelled, obviously)
• 1/2 shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (I used light)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff!)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Mix oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, coconut, and sugar together and set aside.
2. Combine the syrup, oil, honey, vanilla and salt.
3. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ones, combining thoroughly.
4. Spread evenly onto two baking pans and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, mixing every 10 to 15 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly.
5. Let cool and pour into a bowl.
6. If there was dry fruit in this recipe, I would mix it in now.

Snack on plain granola, eat it with yogurt, as an ice cream topping, or with milk just like cereal.

Granola is a post from: The Kosher Foodies

I didn’t really know what to call this post. They can’t be called walnut and dried cherry bars, because those are the only two things I omitted from the recipe…I stuck with breakfast bars because I eat these for breakfast. Any suggestions for a more interesting name?

When I saw Ellie Krieger’s recipe for walnut and dried cherry bars, I really wanted to make them. The only problem was that I didn’t have any dried cherries on hand, and I can’t bring nuts to work with me. I decided to give it a try, anyway, with raisins and dried cranberries instead.

They were so easy to make and very delicious. It took about 5 minutes to put the ingredients together and 30 minutes in the oven, and I have breakfast for a little over a week.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour (I think I’ll put less next time)
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (Next time I’ll put half a cup)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 egg, beaten to mix
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together oats, flour, wheat germ, cinnamon, and salt.

3. In a large bowl, mix honey, applesauce, canola oil, egg, and egg white.

4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet. Add the dried cranberries and raisins, mix. Pour into an 8×8 baking dish lined with parchment paper (Ellie tells you to spray it with cooking spray, but I find that parchment paper works much better – and clean up is easier!) and pour mixture in.

5. Bake for 30 minutes.

6. During the last 5 minutes of baking, prepare the preserves. Put the preserves in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 90 seconds, until liquidy. Brush over the bars right when they come out of the oven. Cool completely before cutting.

Next time, I’m adding coconut to the mixture and putting more preserves on top. I think more apple sauce/less flour will also be a good change.

These were much easier to make than the last ones I made. They are also denser, chewier, and a little less granola bar-ish. I like them both, but will probably make these more often just because they were SO easy while still being great tasting and pretty filling. A perfect quick bite for the minute before my students come through the door.

I cut them into 12 squares and wrapped them each in wax paper, then put in a zip top bag and froze them…Breakfast for two weeks!

Breakfast Bars is a post from: The Kosher Foodies

I often try to make granola bars, only to find myself with granola in the end. After watching Ina Garten so easily make granola bars for her friends, I decided to try it out again. I added dried fruits and flax seeds to her basic recipe, and omitted the nuts so I could bring them into school (nut-free) and snack on them while there.

I ended up with 17 granola bars. There should have been 18, but one completely crumbled. I had it with milk the next morning. These granola bars were pretty easy to make. I cut them after a few hours and wrapped each one in wax paper. I then stuck them in zip-top baggies and stored half on the counter and half in the freezer.

Next time I think I’ll lower the sweetness and add some chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup dried coconut (I used unsweetened)
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup agave syrup
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the oats and coconut for 10 minutes. When toasted, transfer to a large bowl. Add the wheat germ and mix. Lower oven to 300 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, butter and line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper. Put aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, place the butter, honey, agave, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stir and cook for one minute. Pour into the oat mixture, add the dried fruits, and mix well.
4. Transfer to baking dish. With wet fingers, lightly pack the granola bar mixture. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
5. Let cool for 3 hours before cutting. I cut mine into rectangles, but you can really do any shape you want. Pack in an airtight container (separate layers with wax paper).

Nutless Granola Bars is a post from: The Kosher Foodies