Homemade Granola Bars

Food you make at home from quality ingredients will often be nutritionally superior to factory-made food. Make a double batch and wrap extras for the freezer.  You can send these to school for a snack or the lunch box. Chopping the dried fruit and nuts very fine makes the texture more acceptable for kids who are new to these foods.

Homemade Granola Bars

Makes about 15 bars

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup old-fashioned or quick oats (not instant)
• ¾ cup whole wheat or spelt flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup canola oil
• ¼ cup honey
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¾ cup dried fruit (cherries, apricots or apples), chopped fine in food processor
• ½ cup nuts (pecans, slivered almonds or walnuts), chopped very fine in food processor
• ¼ cup low sugar jelly or jam (cherry, apricot, grape or raspberry)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 8X8” square pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine oats, flour, wheat germ, cinnamon and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, combine oil, honey (measure into the same cup used for the oil and it will slide out completely), applesauce and eggs. Add dried fruit and nuts, then add this mixture to dry ingredients.
4. Spread into baking pan and bake 25-30 minutes, until toothpick in the center comes out clean. Spread jam over the surface on the bars.
5. Cut into 15 bars. For school snacks, wrap in foil and crimp the ends with a fork, so the kids don’t feel their snack is “different” from the others.

What dried fruit, nut and jam combinations will you try?