Nutty Granola Bars

Granola bars have, in many occasions, prevented me from snapping at someone. See, when I don’t eat for a few hours, I, as the commercial says, become the biggest diva ever. I guess I am addicted to sugar or maybe I just like to eat constantly, I don’t know. What I know is that if I am going to be on the road, I always put a granola bar in my purse. So when I start feeling like a diva – you know, when you start making unrealistic demands and want to hiss at everyone –  I rapidly get my granola out of my purse, open the package and start eating it. The old “me” is back and the diva behavior is gone. It works like magic, I swear.

When my friend Jen, and awesome cooking partner, suggested we make granola bars from scratch, I was beyond ecstatic. The recipe called for very healthy and good-tasting ingredients without all the preservatives contained in commercial granola bars. In addition, if you are watching your diet, a serving of this recipe has fewer calories than the average granola bar. The result is a sweet and crunchy granola bar that you are going to love!

Fruit and Honey Bars

Adapted from a recipe found in Weight Watchers Magazine

It serves 20 bars

Comments: We added chocolate chips to the recipe because to be honest, everything tastes better with chocolate. If you want to do the same, prepare the recipe as directed but after cutting the bars, sprinkle them with ½ cup of mini-chocolate chips.

½ cup of honey

2 large eggs

½ tsp. salt

½ cup instant nonfat milk

1 cup of old fashioned rolled oats

½ cup of unsalted pumpkin seeds

½ cup each shelled unsweetened shredded coconut

½ cup ground flaxseeds

½ cup dried apricots, chopped

½ cup dried cherries

¼ cup whole wheat flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with non-stick foil.

2. Beat the honey, eggs, and salt with a fork in a small bowl until blended. Put the oats, dry milk, pumpkin seeds, dry coconut, flaxseeds, apricots cherries, and flour in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add honey mixture to food processor and pulse until mixture is evenly moistened.

3. Transfer the dough to a baking pan; press into even layer with dampened fingers. Bake until center is set and edges are browned, about 20 minutes.

4. Let cool slightly on a rack, 10 minutes. Holding foil, transfer bar from pan to cutting board. Cut into 20 (1 ½ inch) bars. Let cool completely and peel off. 

Each bar has 118 calories.