Month: March 2011

I’m filing this recipe under “Work In Progress”.  Chewy Granola and I first met over at Inspired Taste when Adam and Joanne posted about their adventures making chewy granola bars.  They ran into a few obstacles in their quest for the perfect bar.  Chiefly, how to get them out of the pan and how to keep them from falling apart into huge granolay crumbles.  Since I’m no stranger to recipes that don’t quite go as planned, and they had already identified some of the pitfalls, I figured I could try my hand at them.

There’s another reason why I wanted to try making these.  I can’t eat most of the prepackaged granola bars.  They usually have some kind of seeds or nuts which are verboten in my world.  After an especially long relationship with seeds, seeded fruits, and nuts, I was informed that I had to choose between them and a functioning colon.  My choice to pass on a colostomy bag has meant that I can no longer randomly pick up a bag of this or a pack of that without checking the list of ingredients.  This has resulted in breaking up with many things I used to enjoy eating.  But if I am picking the ingredients, I can rekindle my relationship with granola bars.

And so it began.  I took Adam and Joanne’s recipe, eliminated all those pesky seedy things, and introduced a substitution or two.  I carefully prepped my pan, mixed my ingredients, and patted and pressed until the pan was fully of chewy granola goodness.  I waited patiently while the granola baked.  I waited even more patiently while the granola cooled. When I could wait no more, I went in for a taste.

And the damn things fell apart on me.

So it’s back to the drawing board to try and find a better way.  I’m inclined to think that the granola should A) bake longer; B) cool completely before being cut; C) be stored in an open container, not an airtight one.

And please, take it from me…you don’t want to put chewy granola in a plastic bag and then forget about it in the pocket of your coat for a day or two.  Believe me when I say it’s not a pretty sight.

Chewy Granola Bars

Adapted from Inspired Taste

BAH Tip:  Use two sheets of parchment to create a sling for easy removal of the granola after baking.  Fold or cut the sheets to the exact width of your pan and then lay them in so that the ends of the parchment extend over the sides of the pan.

• 1 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup rolled oats, processed in food processor until finely ground
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup honey

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 8 or 9 inch square baking dish with a parchment sling.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, oat flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, cranberries, and coconut.  In a second bowl, or large measuring cup, combine the corn syrup, vanilla, butter, and honey and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Dump the granola in the prepared baking dish and press it to an even thickness.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.  Cool the granola in the pan completely before cutting into bars.

Serve as bars or crumble into a bowl with yogurt.  Store leftover granola in an open container.

{printable recipe}