granola bars.

Some days it's just not enough to read and/or to write. Some days I need to make something: to pour, to measure, to crumble, to chop, to stir. Just for the pleasure of it. This was such a day.

So I made granola bars. I love mixing together all of these ingredients that are good individually but together form something delicious. I'd made this recipe from smitten kitchen once before and loved it, but I found the bars a tad too sweet and almost too moist. So this I switched from white to brown sugar, added a bit more cinnamon, and cut down the butter just a bit: yummy success!

The best thing about these, other than their taste? You can play with all sorts of combinations of dried fruits and nuts. I used whatever I had on hand; next time, I think I'll throw in some chocolate chips, too!

Chewy Granola Bars
Adapted from smitten kitchen

1 2/3 c. quick rolled oats (*I only had old-fashioned and actually really liked the results)
1/3 c. oats, processed until finely ground, or oat flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 to 3 c. dried fruit and nuts (*see note below)
1/3 c. smooth peanut butter or other nut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 c. plus 1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. light corn syrup (*I might try replacing this with more honey next time - will report back)
1 tbsp. water

*Note: Any combination seems like it would work. I used 1/2 c. dried Bing cherries (processed until coarsely chopped), 1/2 c. dried cranberries, 1/2 c. wheat germ, 1/2 c. shredded coconut, 1/2 c. sunflower seeds, and 1/2 c. chopped walnuts. Smitten kitchen's suggestions also include dried apricots or apples, pecans, and pepitas.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8x8" baking pan/dish with parchment in one direction so that it sticks up on both ends. (You'll need these handles later to get the bars out smoothly.) Lightly grease parchment and exposed pan.

2. Stir together all dry ingredients, including fruit and nuts.


3. In separate bowl, stir together vanilla, melted butter, peanut butter, honey, corn syrup, and water. (*Hint: coating your measuring cup/spoon with a little melted butter makes it a lot easier to get the peanut butter/honey/corn syrup out cleanly.)


4. Stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture in about 3 batches, to make it easier to combine. Make sure the mixture is evenly crumbly.


5. Spread into the prepared pan, pressing firmly. Use a sheet of plastic wrap or, even more efficiently, lightly butter your fingertips to press the mixture down. (And really press - I learned my lesson last time with too-loosely-packed and therefore too-crumbly bars, so this time I pressed down firmly with the flat of my hand. Much better.)

6. Bake for 30-40 mins., until lightly browned around the edges and beginning to brown on top. Don't worry if they seem underbaked in the middle; they'll firm up. Let cool in the pan. If you're in a hurry, you can lift them out in their parchment sling after about 20 mins. and let them finish cooling on a wire rack. Whatever you do, let them cool completely before you cut them. (Smitten kitchen suggests refrigerating them for another 30 mins. after they're cooled to make them even easier to cut; I was too impatient, so there was a little crumbling.) Wrap individually in plastic or store in an airtight container.