Healthy Baking :: Cranberry-Orange Granola Bars

I'm very excited (...and honored!) to have been invited by the fabulous Jenny over at Have Your Cake to write a guest post recipe! I love her fun, useful, and inspirational views on healthy living. ...Believe me, I have drastically cut down my butter intake since I've been following her daily tips!


So, I decided to make a batch of one of my favorite homemade, healthy goodies: granola bars! Sweet oats, with toasted almonds, and the tartness of cranberries and orange zest, all in a little bar. Perfect! ... especially with a bit a greek yogurt!


Not only are these healthier than the store-bought (...I'm assuming corn syrup isn't in your pantry), but they are easy to make (think: rice krispie treats), and there are so many flavor possibilities. Try dates, cherries, apricots, or even chocolate chips! Wrap the cut bars in wax paper or store in an airtight container, they will keep in the fridge for up to a month. You can even make two flavors at once by doubling the recipe and baking the two flavors side by side in a larger baking pan.


Oh, and if you are still scared of attempting granola bars, believe me, I was for quite some time, thinking the bars would just fall apart when I tried to cut them, but just remember that the worse that could happen is you end up with a bag of small granola bar chunks... which will still be delicious.


Enjoy!

CRANBERRY-ORANGE ALMOND GRANOLA BARS (adapted from Barefoot Contessa)
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
2/3 cups honey
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus a bit for the pan
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup dried cranberries
zest of one large orange


Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a 9x9 baking dish and line it with parchment paper.


Toss the oats, almonds, and coconut and on a sheet pan cook for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer it to a large bowl and add the wheat germ.

In a saucepan, over medium heat bring the butter, honey, vanilla, and salt to a boil. Cook while stirring for another minute. Then add the liquid to to the bowl of dry ingredients. Add the cranberries and orange zest and mix well.

Pour the mixture into the parchment lined pan, and lightly pat down with your hands (it helps if you wet your hands a bit).


Bake at 300F for 30 minutes until lightly browned.

Allow it to cool for at least 3 hours (or overnight) and then cut into bars or squares. Serve at room temperature or store in a airtight container.

From the Oven :: Homemade Cranberry Granola

I love yogurt and granola! It's such a perfect anytime snack... especially with fresh fruits on top.  Yum!  ...But packaged granola often has alot of processed sugars and fats.  Sugar, corn syrup, and fructose are usually the main ingredients in the store bought mixes, or in 'healthy' granola bars.  Humm, not exactly the healthy snack I'm envisioning.  

So I decided to bake my own granola!  ...It's not as convenient as grabbing a box off the supermarket shelf, but it doesn't require more than 5 minutes of prep work and it will keep in the fridge for months.  Well worth the effort just to know what you're eating.  And the taste will be delicious.  You can make any flavor combination you can imagine, and your apartment will smell like sweet, cinnamon-y goodness all day! :-)

I couldn't wait to have it for breakfast.  So the next morning, I surprised A. by making us 'to-go' breakfast yogurt parfaits.  

In glass mason jars, I layered Fage greek yogurt (0% fat), my freshly baked granola, and diced melons ... delicious!!  So easy and healthy... not to mention how cute the jars look. 

You can even make the parfaits the night before, leave in the fridge, and grab as you're rushing out in the morning.  I love these glass jars because you don't have to worry about leaking.  If you are worried about the granola getting soggy overnight, cut out rounds of parchment/wax paper the diameter of your container.  Place the round of paper between the yogurt and the granola.  Problem solved! 

CRANBERRY GRANOLA

6 cups old fashioned oats (not quick cook)

1/2 cup honey

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

dash of salt

1 cup dried cranberries (you can replace with raisins)

optional: 1 cup nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, even chocolate chips!

Preheat oven at 350F.  In a large bowl with the oats with the honey, room temperature butter, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and nuts if you are adding them.  Spread oats on a baking pan and bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and add dried fruits or chips.  Allow the granola to cool to room temperature and store in a sealed jar in the fridge.

Enjoy!

PS: I added a feature at the end of each post (a little envelope icon) that you can use to forward a post to a friend! Just click on the envelope and send away.