As I was researching a few granola bar recipes, four of the five recipes I looked at made some comment about granola bars being hippie food. Seriously folks? Granola bars have been mainstream since the 1980s so get over it.
Having said that, many of the granola bars found in stores are full of sugar and fat (and why do so many have chocolate chips!?). So it is nice to be able to make them at home and put whatever I want in them. I love the combination of the apricots, ginger and cashews! And the crystallized ginger gives these a nice spicy bite.
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
2/3 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped unsalted cashews
1/2 cup wheat germ
2/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
Heat over to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 x 12 baking pan.
Combine the first 4 ingredients and spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Bake for 10-12 minutes, stirring once or twice and keeping a close eye during the last few minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
The rest needs to happen fairly quickly as it will become difficult to stir when the liquid mixture cools down.
Allow to cool slightly then slice into bars. Store in refrigerator. Any crumbs that are left after the bars are sliced can be eaten with milk or yogurt!
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