Nothing glamorous but so crunchy, delicious, fruity and nutty!
A great way to kick off your New Year by making more food
at home with real ingredients that have simple names!
This recipe can be tweaked and personalized to any dietary preferences.
‘Cause that’s what it’s all about –
enjoying the process and enjoying the results.
Healthy for the body…
Healthy for the mind and…
Healthy for the soul.
prepare all ingredients
oats, nuts, coconut ready to toast
prepare honey mixture in saucepan
combine and prepare to toast in oven
before
after
hard to cut neatly so I just break into big chunks or small bits,
and crumble more to top yogurt…
YUM!
kick off your New Year with this recipe that is loaded with real and simple ingredients that combined are crunchy fabulous! servings: makes 12 to 16 generously-sized granola bars
- 1-1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup chopped nuts (your choice of one or mixed)
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 2/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup honey (use maple syrup or agave for vegan)
- 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (use plant-based for vegan)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (use heaping 1/4 tsp. or to taste)
- 1 cup any seed of choice, roasted/salted or unsalted) (pumpkin, sunflower, or mixed)
- 3/4 cup dried fruit, chopped into small bits such as cranberries, diced apricots, blueberries, currants, figs, etc.)
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Spread the oats, nuts, and almonds onto the prepared baking sheet. Toast for 7 minutes. Then add coconut and mix all together. Continue toasting until mixture is light golden brown color. Remove from oven and set aside.
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Reduce the oven to 300°F.
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While oat mixture is toasting, whisk the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt in a small saucepan on medium-high heat. Bring to a rapid boil, then remove from heat and set aside.
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Combine the oat mixture, the honey mixture and any add-ins you wish so everything is moist.
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Return mixture to parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into thin layer. Bake ~ 25 min. rotating pan half-way through to ensure even cooking. Looking for a toasted golden brown edges.
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Remove from oven and transfer mixture and parchment to a 9×13 baking pan. Press into pan to compress and spread evenly. I use a smaller baking sheet or you could use the bottom of a measuring cup or drinking glass to compress the mixture. Let cool completely.
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Break apart into clusters for snacking or crumble completely to use as a topping.
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Store in airtight container or freeze and pull out as needed so it stays fresh longer.
- you may sub out any ingredients but keeping the proportions of wet and dry ingredients the same.
- this recipe was inspired by ‘Once Upon a Chef’ recipe that I adapted based on making this and making modifications a couple of times.
- the original recipe uses a foil-lined baking sheet for toasting which is then transferred to the 9×13 baking dish for baking.
- the first time I made these, I used foil (as seen in some of the pics) but forgot to transfer the moist mixture to the 9×13 baking pan for baking so then transferred it to the 9×13 baking dish after baking 25 min. and I got a more crunchy result.
- the 2nd time I toasted them on the baking sheet then baked them in the 9×13 baking dish and they were less crunchy. so depends on your preference for chewy crunchy or crunchy crunchy.
- using foil may lead to crispier result but parchment worked fine for me and I didn’t need to use cooking spray, no sticking at all.
