Thin and Chewy Granola Bars

Lately I have been hesitant to buy chewy granola bars as there seems to be an awful lot of suspicious ingredients that are used to make them chewy and still stick together. I have made granola several times, so I thought, why not take it the next step and try making my own bars as well?  This time around I just went basic and they were quite good! Next time I think I would double it to make thicker bars...and so I could taste test a little more as I was making them. The "batter" before I cooked them was actually even better than the granola itself (cooking them just lessens the flavor a bit)! It has me wanting to make my own bars more often and experiment with different flavors beyond the basic. Maybe even try making ones that I can use as Clif and Luna Bar replacements.

Thin and Chewy Granola
How I Did It:

1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup rice crispies
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp oat flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp applesauce
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp coconut
4 tbsp crushed sliced almonds
3 tbsp chopped raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 8x8" pan with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, rice crispies, oat flour, baking soda, and salt make sure to combine well. Set aside.

3. In a smaller bowl mix together oil, honey, brown sugar, apple sauce, and vanilla extract. Add mixture into the dry mixture and stir well. Add coconut, almonds, raisins, and cinnamon and mix until distributed evenly.

4. Pour mixture into your prepared pan and spread out evenly. Push down on it to condense your ingredients. Bake for about 15 minutes (until it starts to brown lightly). Your bars will have risen a bit...yes, that means you need to press them down some more. Careful, don't burn yourself!

5. Place in the refrigerator to harden up for at least 20 minutes. Remove and cut into whatever size bars you desire. They will be a bit crunchy, but if you store them in an airtight container overnight they will soften right up! 

Fruit and Nut Whole Wheat Bread

I am always drawn towards bread with fruit in it for some reason. Not for sandwiches of course, but it is so nice with breakfast or as a quick snack. I found this a recipe for healthy breakfast bread at Spoonful of Sugar Free and have been wanting to try it out for a while. I made a few modifications, but her idea was great and the bread is fantastic. Very hearty and healthy tasting and definitely quite filling! It was great right out of the oven, but since then I have been just slicing off pieces and eating them cold. Maybe I will try toasting a piece, but it definitely doesn't need butter/spread or honey. 

Fruit and Nut Whole Wheat Bread

How I did it:

2 apples, chopped and peeled
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup dried apricots, thickly chopped
1/4 cup dates, thickly chopped
1/4 cup dates, chopped into small pieces
1/8 cup dried apple slices, chopped
3/4 cup nuts, chopped (almonds and pecans)
1 1/8 cup water
topping:
1/4 cup rolled oats

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a bread pan and set aside.

2. Pour 1/8 cup water in a medium frying pan and add in the chopped apples. Leave covered until apples begin to soften and then mash with a potato masher until it looks like fresh apple sauce (leave some apple chunks remaining). Take off the heat and set aside.

3. Pour 1 cup of rolled oats into a food processor until the oats turn into a fine powder. Transfer to a mixing bowl and combine with whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and flaxseed meal. Once well combined, mix in 1 cup of water and the apple sauce. Stir in the dried fruit and nuts and make sure they are well distributed throughout.

4. Pour into prepared bread pan evenly. Sprinkle oats on top and lightly press down. Cook for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out (almost) clean.