These granola bars have rapidly become a staple snack and breakfast item around here. I happened to catch an episode of Good Eats one night and this recipe was featured. It’s very easy, although you have to make sure you let them cool completely before attempting to remove them from the pan and cut them. I make them at night and then let them cool overnight. Then, I work around the sides with a metal spatula and cut down the middle to loosen it up. The two halves come out fairly easily at that point and then a large knife makes cutting easy work.

I don’t have a 9×9 pan, only an 8×8 pan, but the only difference is the size/shape of the bars. Whatever size pan, you should end up with 16 pieces. I thought mine seemed small, but they are very filling. For me at least. Joe has been known to eat a number of them in a sitting.

I’ve only made them with dried blueberries, as I often have those around for use in oatmeal. Also, the nutritional information is not bad either:
193 kilocalories, 30.52g carbs, 4.5 g protein, 6.8 g fat, 3.66 g fiber, 61.28 mg sodium

Alton Brown’s Granola Bars

8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups
1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, approximately 1/2 cup
3 ounces sliced almonds, approximately 1 cup
1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup
6 ounces honey, approximately 1/2 cup
1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup packed
1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. (Note: I spray the bottom of my measuring cup with canola oil and press with that.) Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Episode#: EA0906
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