Home Made Granola Bars

INGREDIENTS

•3 cups old fashioned oats

•2 tablespoons canola oil

•2 tablespoons brown sugar

•2 tablespoons maple syrup

•¼ cup honey

•1 teaspoon vanilla

•1 teaspoon cinnamon

•¼ teaspoon nutmeg

•1 – 1½ cups mix of dried cranberries and raisins, nuts and seeds

•5 ounces GOOD dark chocolate

DIRECTIONS

1.Preheat the oven to 350F and toast the oats on a baking sheet until golden brown.    

2.Line a 9 X 9 pan with parchment paper or foil. You want a piece large enough that the sides will come back over and cover the top of the bars once you fill the pan.

3.Heat the oil in sauce pan and add sugar, maple syrup, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.

4.Bring it to a simmer over medium high heat. Stir to make sure the brown sugar dissolves, and turn the heat off.

5.Put the toasted oats in a large bowl. Pour the hot liquid over the oats and stir to coat evenly. Stir in all your add-ins. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan.

6.Fold the parchment or foil over the top of the granola in the pan and PRESS to fill the corners and flatten. Keep pressing and smooth the granola out so that it is even across the pan.

7.Let the granola bars set up in a cool dry place for at least an hour. They will set faster in the freezer.

8.Turn them out of the pan onto a cutting board. Peel the parchment or foil away. Slice down the middle and then cut each half into 6 bars. Lay the bars on a clean piece of parchment or foil. Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat. Spoon a strip of chocolate onto the parchment paper and lay the granola bar onto it, then use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate over the sliced bars. Let it set up and ENJOY!

Adapted from www.sugardishme.com