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Granola Bars

Source of Recipe

From "The America's Test Kitchen D.I.Y. Cookbook"


Recipe Introduction

"This recipe was born out of necessity. Granola in its loose form has long been a staple for me, and it didn't take long for my family—and especially my 2-year-old daughter—to get hooked on it too. The problem? She would try to eat it by the fistful, and most of it would end up on the floor. My goal was to take the flavor profile of the only store-bought granola I'm a fan of and turn it into bars. It's the perfect marriage of salty and sweet, accomplished with the help of extra-virgin olive oil, maple syrup, and sea salt baked up with oats, nuts, coconut, and seeds. In bar form, it's something even my 2-year-old can handle."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ â…“ cup maple syrup
â—¦ ¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces) packed light brown sugar
â—¦ ¾ teaspoon flake sea salt
â—¦ â…“ cup extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ 2 cups (6 ounces) old fashioned rolled oats
â—¦ ½ cup pecans, chopped fine
â—¦ ½ cup raw pepitas
â—¦ ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
â—¦ ½ cup (1 ounce) unsweetened flaked coconut


Recipe

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Make foil sling for 13 by 9-inch baking pan by folding two long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be 13 inches wide and second sheet should be 9 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Spray with vegetable oil spray. Generously spray large metal spatula with oil spray.

Whisk maple syrup, sugar, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk in oil.

Process ½ cup oats in food processor until finely ground, 30 to 40 seconds. Transfer to bowl with maple syrup mixture and stir in remaining 1 ½ cups oats, pecans, pepitas, sunflower seeds, and coconut, until all dry ingredients are thoroughly coated.

Transfer oat mixture to prepared pan and spread into thin, even layer. Using prepared spatula, firmly compress oat mixture until very compact. Bake granola bars until deeply golden, about 45 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.

Let granola bars cool on wire rack in pan for 15 minutes, then cut, still in pan, into 16 bars. Let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Using foil sling, remove bars and transfer to cutting board. Using sharp knife, carefully recut bars following original cuts. Granola bars can be stored at room temperature in airtight container for up to one week.

Makes 16 bars