Crispy Honey Nut Granola Bars

 

Crispy Granola Bars

Golden, nutty, and packed with oats and dried fruit, these homemade granola bars are as wholesome as they are delicious. They come together quickly with just a handful of pantry staples and are perfect for breakfast, lunchboxes, or afternoon snacking.
Ingredients:
1½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup sliced almonds
⅔ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
½ cup honey
3 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon + ⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup crisp rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
¾ cup dried fruit, such as cranberries, diced apricots, blueberries, currants, etc.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Spread the oats, walnuts and almonds onto the prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven and toast for 7 minutes. Add the coconut and toss well with a rubber spatula, then place back in the oven to cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. Keep an eye on it towards the end; you want the coconut to turn golden but not burn.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt in a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk and bring to a rapid boil, then turn off the heat and set aside.  *My suggestion is allow the rapid boil for 30 seconds

Once the oat mixture is golden, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300°F (150°C). Combine the oat mixture, honey mixture, rice cereal, and dried fruit in a large bowl and toss well. (Reserve the aluminum foil.)

Use the reserved foil to line a 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) baking dish, then spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Turn the granola bar mixture out into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly, patting down with a spatula. Be sure the heat is reduced to 300°F (150°C), then bake until lightly golden, 20 to 23 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and cool completely, 1 to 1½ hours. Use the foil overhang to transfer the bars to a cutting board, then use a large, sharp knife to cut into rectangles. Store the bars in a single layer in an airtight container, or wrap the bars individually in aluminum foil, for up to a week at room temperature.

NOTES
You can swap in your favorite nuts and seeds as long as you keep the proportions of dry to wet ingredients the same. On occasion, I’ll sprinkle some chocolate chips over top for the kids (you can't mix them in or they'll melt).
Freezing Instructions: The granola bars can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove them from the container and let them come to room temperature.

Bloggers Note:  I used a teflon cookie sheet in place of foil and non-stick cooking spray.   I very lightly applied a film of EVOO to my 9X13 baking dish.  Most important is packing the ingredients even and compact in the dish.  Allow to cool until the bottom of the 9x13 dish is cool to the hands.  My next batch will be cut 3" X 2 1/4" which would be adequate and they are thick.  Allowing the bars to cool is very important.