I happen to love granola. I could probably eat it everyday without getting sick of it- with yogurt, almond milk, crumbly, or in bar form…. Unfortunately, almost all granola in stores is loaded with sugar and/or various kinds of corn syrup and even ingredients I cannot pronounce. I recently bought Ina Garten’s “Back to Basics” book which I am making the Cookbook of the Month for September. It has some really great recipes that all rely on fresh, good-quality ingredients. The first recipe I tried from the book happened to be Ina’s homemade granola bars. I was happy to see that there was no corn syrup in sight! I even adapted the recipe to make it slightly healthier than it was. I’ve enjoyed these granola bars for a couple days now and am very happy with the results- they just taste more….real than those storebought ones. This recipe is super adaptable and you can definitely change the add-ins such as the types of dried fruit and nuts.

On another note, I cannot believe it is September tomorrow. Shocking! Once again it feels weird not to be going ‘back to school’ yet. I’m only taking one cooking class right now and it’s food safety…no ACTUAL cooking yet. I won’t be getting out my new knives and my chef’s hat until about a month from now. So, without further ado, here is my recipe for Ina Garten’s homemade granola bars and a picture of me dressed up as an 80′s rock ‘n’ roll’er (for a costume party) just for kicks! Bahahah

Homemade Granola Bars (adapted from Ina Garten’s Back to Basics)

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• 1/4 cup ground Salba or ground flaxseed (if you don’t have these, use an extra 1/4 cup of wheat germ)
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup honey (use 2/3 cup, if you don’t have Stevia, or you want less crumbly/more gooey bars)
• couple drops Stevia
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates (I used dried, but fresh would be better)
• 1 cup dried fruit (unsweetened is best) such as blueberries, cranberries, raisins, apricots

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 x 12-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconuts together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the picture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the Salba/Flax and the wheat germ.

Reduce oven to 300 degrees.

Place the butter, honey, stevia, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Cook and stir for a minute, then pour into over the toasted oatmeal mixture.

Add the dates and dried fruit and stir.

Pour the mixture into the 8 x 12 pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 -3 hours before cutting into bars. Serve and enjoy!