Granola Bars / Breakfast Cookies [Recipes]
The first batch ...
2008 Feb 9
Oh, and for fruit in the 2nd double batch instead of chopped up dried cherries like the first batch I used 1/4 dried blueberries, 1/4 dried cranberries, 1/4 raisins and 1/4 various dried fruit that had been soaked in vodka for several years and then had the vodka drained out (for consumption).
We've been storing those drained, vodka-soaked fruit for a good year now in a mason jar and they appear as though they'll probably be good for a few years I'm sure, until they get used :-)
We've been storing those drained, vodka-soaked fruit for a good year now in a mason jar and they appear as though they'll probably be good for a few years I'm sure, until they get used :-)
2008 Feb 11
i've been making breakfast cookies for years now. i always alter the ingredients based on what is in my cupboard. instead of butter or oil, i usually use unsweetened applesauce and i also had skim milk powder for added calcium.
2008 Feb 15
Thanks for posting this recipe Zymurgist! I have been making my own granola for years now and I have been looking for granola bar recipe that doesn't have sugar or corn syrup. I can't wait to try it!
If you are interested, here is my granola recipe:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees Farenheit
In a large bowl, mix the following:
6 cups large flake oatmeal
1 1/2 cups slivered or chopped almonds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 sesame seeds
1/2 cup wheat bran (or rice bran)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cardomon (optional)
Stir in
1/2 cup Canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
Then mix in
3/4 cup honey
Pour into a large roasting pan and place in the oven. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until golden. If you like it darker, continue to cook and stir in 5 minute intervals until desired doneness is achieved.
Let cool and mix in about a cup of dried fruit of your choice.
If you are interested, here is my granola recipe:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees Farenheit
In a large bowl, mix the following:
6 cups large flake oatmeal
1 1/2 cups slivered or chopped almonds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 sesame seeds
1/2 cup wheat bran (or rice bran)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cardomon (optional)
Stir in
1/2 cup Canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
Then mix in
3/4 cup honey
Pour into a large roasting pan and place in the oven. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until golden. If you like it darker, continue to cook and stir in 5 minute intervals until desired doneness is achieved.
Let cool and mix in about a cup of dried fruit of your choice.
2008 Feb 18
BTW, just eating the last 2 of these right now, so they keep for some time. that was in a ziplock/tupperware-type container. they'd keep indefinitely if you were to put them into one of those food dehydrators.
2008 Feb 23
I did something really out there with my granola bars this time. I started off by asking my wife for a 2nd opinion on whether or not I could put some grated carrots on there, much like a carrot cake. She agreed, so off I went!
I grabbed 2 frozen over-riped bananas from the freezer and stuck each into a tall glass and filled both with hot water in the sink to thaw them
I have one of those kitchen aid mini choppers and tossed in a bunch of baby carrots to equal about 1 and 1/3 cups grated. Then 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 of butter. 1/4 cup dried cherries, and 1/4 dried/candied mango. Buzzed til it was a nice paste then 2 eggs went in, and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 2 dried cardamom pods (on a whim)
That got moved into the kitchen aid mixer with 2 cups of rolled oats.
Back to the mini-chopper, in went 1/3 cup all natural peanut butter, 1/2 cup flax seeds, 1/2 cup hazelnuts (a bit more than 1/2 cup but about what I figured would be 1/2 once chopped). 1/2 cup honey.
By now the 2 bananas were thawed enough on the outside that I peeled them and put the insides into the kitchen aid mixer with the other stuff in there. in went 1 more cup of rolled oats since things were still pretty wet, and 1/2 cup raisins.
The mini-chopper got emptied into the big kitchen aid, then 3 blocks of semi-sweet baking chocolate got cut up a bit with a knife (break in half first, then cut each half into 3 pieces), and tossed into the mini chopper. It was able to turn that into nicely shaved chocolate, which got mixed into the mixture in the end.
Spread onto well-greased pans (half-sized alu baking sheets) and baked for 350F for 25 minutes.
They smell good right now ... will report back when they are out of the oven!
I grabbed 2 frozen over-riped bananas from the freezer and stuck each into a tall glass and filled both with hot water in the sink to thaw them
I have one of those kitchen aid mini choppers and tossed in a bunch of baby carrots to equal about 1 and 1/3 cups grated. Then 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 of butter. 1/4 cup dried cherries, and 1/4 dried/candied mango. Buzzed til it was a nice paste then 2 eggs went in, and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 2 dried cardamom pods (on a whim)
That got moved into the kitchen aid mixer with 2 cups of rolled oats.
Back to the mini-chopper, in went 1/3 cup all natural peanut butter, 1/2 cup flax seeds, 1/2 cup hazelnuts (a bit more than 1/2 cup but about what I figured would be 1/2 once chopped). 1/2 cup honey.
By now the 2 bananas were thawed enough on the outside that I peeled them and put the insides into the kitchen aid mixer with the other stuff in there. in went 1 more cup of rolled oats since things were still pretty wet, and 1/2 cup raisins.
The mini-chopper got emptied into the big kitchen aid, then 3 blocks of semi-sweet baking chocolate got cut up a bit with a knife (break in half first, then cut each half into 3 pieces), and tossed into the mini chopper. It was able to turn that into nicely shaved chocolate, which got mixed into the mixture in the end.
Spread onto well-greased pans (half-sized alu baking sheets) and baked for 350F for 25 minutes.
They smell good right now ... will report back when they are out of the oven!
2008 Feb 23
Oooo, they are VERY nice! A bit 'cakier' than the regular recipe above I suppose due to the carrots. Probably needs maybe another tablespoon or two of olive oil or butter to make up for the extra cup of oats. i'd leave the cardamom out in the future unless you really like it. it's not overpowering in the least mind you, but it is still cardamom. perhaps cut it down to 1 pod or 1/2 even. and add another 1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon due to the extra oats as well.
and it probably needs 1 more egg for the extra cup of oats, and perhaps a bit more honey or in fact i'd probably sooner use 1/4 cup maple syrup.
make those changes to my new recipe and I think it will be a real hit! potentially also replace the 3rd cup of oats with the same amount of oats put into a blade coffee grinder or a mini-chopper, to make oat flour
They boys are really enjoying the "supper cookies" :-)
EDIT : if you like peanut butter they could easily take another 1/3 cup if not 2/3 more to make a full cup.
and it probably needs 1 more egg for the extra cup of oats, and perhaps a bit more honey or in fact i'd probably sooner use 1/4 cup maple syrup.
make those changes to my new recipe and I think it will be a real hit! potentially also replace the 3rd cup of oats with the same amount of oats put into a blade coffee grinder or a mini-chopper, to make oat flour
They boys are really enjoying the "supper cookies" :-)
EDIT : if you like peanut butter they could easily take another 1/3 cup if not 2/3 more to make a full cup.
2008 Feb 23
Actually after they fully cool, I'm not sure I'd change much of anything except perhaps reducing the cardamom a bit. it does go well with the cinnamon though
Mar 16
I've been making an awful lot of these lately, and have been refining the directions as I give the recipe to people. Just now I sent it to a buddy of mine who isn't much of a cook/baker - so below are probably the best directions yet.
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup dried fruit (cranberries, blueberries, raisins, anything dried)
1/2 cup chopped nuts & seeds (any combination - hazelnuts, walnuts,
flax seed, sesame seed, sunflower seed, etc)
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter (or oil)
1 grated apple
1 crushed very ripe banana
one beaten egg
The 1/2 cup of fruit and of nuts is measured after being chopped/crushed. But there is no need to be too exact as this is a very flexible recipe.
I've been making these for about 20 years now, and when I used to go back woods camping I would basically just take these for food and live off them for several days.
There are 2 ways to make them. I did it by hand for years before I started using my new mini-chopper. It's a Kitchen Aid model that I got at the superstore for 40 bucks. I also use my Kitchen Aid mixer these days to mix it. But I've done it for 15 years by hand. Here are both methods.
By Hand:
Melt the butter and honey together, either in a small pot on the stove, or 30 or 40 seconds in the microwave.
Mash the overripe banana and mix into the honey/butter.
Core, then grate the apple and mix in as well
Beat the egg and mix in
If using larger dried fruit (cranberry, dates, etc), chop to the size of small raisins.
If using larger nuts, chop well. Pestle and mortar works well. Or crush with the side of a large knife. Or just buy it pre-crushed.
Mix all the ingredients together in a big container. See below for baking instructions.
By Machine:
Put the egg, butter and honey into the mini-chopper and buzz til well combined.
Add the banana and buzz til the banana is all chopped up
Add the cored apple and buzz til it is all chopped up evenly.
Remove this mush and put it into another container
Put the fruit and nuts into the mini chopper, and add back about 1/3 to 1/2 of the mush. Buzz until everything is chopped well, and nice and pastey.
Put all ingredients into your mixer, and combine well.
Baking :
I used to bake this in a 9x9" brownie pan, but have since switched to making them thinner in a 9x13" cookie sheet. Grease the pan well with butter, then spread evenly and press in firmly into the pan.
Pre-heat oven to 350F and bake 20 minutes if using the 9x13 pan, or 25 with the 9x9 pan.
Allow to cool, then cut up.
This is an extremely flexible recipe, and should be considered a "rough guide" rather than a hard-and-fast recipe. I've replaced the apple with grated zucchini and it's turned out fantastic. You could use just about any kind of fruit : apple, pear, (pitted) peach, whatever. I've also added grated carrots instead of apple and it's worked out really well too (though changes it to more of a carrot cake).
I normally make a double sized batch, and use a mixture of nuts and seeds, as well as a mixture of dried fruit. But just one fruit and one nut/seed works well too.
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup dried fruit (cranberries, blueberries, raisins, anything dried)
1/2 cup chopped nuts & seeds (any combination - hazelnuts, walnuts,
flax seed, sesame seed, sunflower seed, etc)
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter (or oil)
1 grated apple
1 crushed very ripe banana
one beaten egg
The 1/2 cup of fruit and of nuts is measured after being chopped/crushed. But there is no need to be too exact as this is a very flexible recipe.
I've been making these for about 20 years now, and when I used to go back woods camping I would basically just take these for food and live off them for several days.
There are 2 ways to make them. I did it by hand for years before I started using my new mini-chopper. It's a Kitchen Aid model that I got at the superstore for 40 bucks. I also use my Kitchen Aid mixer these days to mix it. But I've done it for 15 years by hand. Here are both methods.
By Hand:
Melt the butter and honey together, either in a small pot on the stove, or 30 or 40 seconds in the microwave.
Mash the overripe banana and mix into the honey/butter.
Core, then grate the apple and mix in as well
Beat the egg and mix in
If using larger dried fruit (cranberry, dates, etc), chop to the size of small raisins.
If using larger nuts, chop well. Pestle and mortar works well. Or crush with the side of a large knife. Or just buy it pre-crushed.
Mix all the ingredients together in a big container. See below for baking instructions.
By Machine:
Put the egg, butter and honey into the mini-chopper and buzz til well combined.
Add the banana and buzz til the banana is all chopped up
Add the cored apple and buzz til it is all chopped up evenly.
Remove this mush and put it into another container
Put the fruit and nuts into the mini chopper, and add back about 1/3 to 1/2 of the mush. Buzz until everything is chopped well, and nice and pastey.
Put all ingredients into your mixer, and combine well.
Baking :
I used to bake this in a 9x9" brownie pan, but have since switched to making them thinner in a 9x13" cookie sheet. Grease the pan well with butter, then spread evenly and press in firmly into the pan.
Pre-heat oven to 350F and bake 20 minutes if using the 9x13 pan, or 25 with the 9x9 pan.
Allow to cool, then cut up.
This is an extremely flexible recipe, and should be considered a "rough guide" rather than a hard-and-fast recipe. I've replaced the apple with grated zucchini and it's turned out fantastic. You could use just about any kind of fruit : apple, pear, (pitted) peach, whatever. I've also added grated carrots instead of apple and it's worked out really well too (though changes it to more of a carrot cake).
I normally make a double sized batch, and use a mixture of nuts and seeds, as well as a mixture of dried fruit. But just one fruit and one nut/seed works well too.
Apr 6
I made a double batch today with canned rhubarb instead of the apple. Needed an extra cup of oats for the double batch to account for the extra liquid.
Apr 6
Another shot of this batch ... btw it was just shy of 2 cups of rhubarb 'jam'
today for dried fruit was dates, pineapple and apricots
for nuts and seeds it was walnuts, almonds, poppy seed and flax seed
Apr 6
These look amazing - I'm taking down the recipe. Home made granola bars are something I've been saying I should try for ages, but have just never got around to it.
Apr 7
these do look really good!
I totally tried to invent my own granola bars the other day. I hit up bulkbarn and got sooo many different things to go in my granola bars. They were okay in the end... I totally winged it, and also I think I overcooked them.. haha, as well, because I ran out of honey and had no corn syrup or anything of the like, I used some stale marshmallows as "glue". Worked pretty well and I was happy because I HATE throwing food out!
anyways Zym, I have your recipe down and if I make some successful looking bars I'll post a picture up if I don't eat them all first!
I totally tried to invent my own granola bars the other day. I hit up bulkbarn and got sooo many different things to go in my granola bars. They were okay in the end... I totally winged it, and also I think I overcooked them.. haha, as well, because I ran out of honey and had no corn syrup or anything of the like, I used some stale marshmallows as "glue". Worked pretty well and I was happy because I HATE throwing food out!
anyways Zym, I have your recipe down and if I make some successful looking bars I'll post a picture up if I don't eat them all first!
Apr 13
In today's batch I replaced about 1/3 the rolled oats with flaked barley - wow, what a great improvement to the recipe! I am going to make them this way more often.
zymurgist
Even though boy#1's choice of French Toast and boy#2's of Oatmeal were both easy, I didn't feel like making them. Instead, I opted for my tried-and-true Granola Bar recipe that I use for backwoods camping trips. But I spread it thinner onto a well-greased cookie sheet (half size) and it turned out very well! So well that shortly after noon I made up another double batch because it was all gone!
I gave it the name "Breakfast Cookies" just to rope the boys into something different :-) We get them eating Falafel by calling them "Supper Timbits". It's all in the marketing :-) But they are very healthy - as mentioned I happily live for several days on them when I am backwoods camping. They are light and you can pack a lot of them.
In a large 8 or 10 qt/litre container, put your dry ingredients :
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup dried fruit (chopped if large fruit)
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp cinnamon
You can leave out 1 of the fruit, nuts or chocolate if any of those do not appeal to you. I put in all 3 this time although I did not have any chocolate chips but only full bitter baker's chocolate, so I grated 2 bricks of it into the dry ingredients and combined it well. In the double batch I did later I did have some chocolate chips that my wife had hidden away!
In a 1 cup pyrex nuke 45 seconds :
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter (or oil)
In a breakfast-sized bowl mix
1 grated apple (minus core of course)
1 crushed very ripe banana
then add
one beaten egg
Mix the honey and butter mixture into the apple, banana and egg mixture, and combine well. Now stir that into the dry ingredients.
Normally put these into a 9x9 inch well-greased pan and bake 350F for 20 to . But spread it out onto a small well-greased cookie sheet, but still baked for 25 minutes. Turned out very well and still plenty moist!
I've been making these bars for about 20 years now. The recipe is based on one found in "Smart Cookies" by Jane Kinderlehrer. But I've given it a lot of my own character like the grated apple instead of the 2 tablespoons of apple juice the original recipe calls for. The original book seems to be out of print, but she does seem to have this book which may well be an updated version of the older one, combined with the other book I have "Smart Muffins".