#182 Make Your Own Granola Bars

Why not try making your own granola bars. It's pretty easy and not very time consuming and can save you some money. I decided to make some because we had run individually packaged snacks for the kids, while doing this pantry challenge. And sometimes it is nice to have snacks already divided out into appropriate size portions. This recipe will make 24 crunchy granola bar. After they were completely we wrapped each one in some plastic wrap (we bought this huge roll 10 years ago & are still trying to use it up!)

Crunchy Granola Bars

2 C quick cooking oats

3/4 C brown sugar

1/2 C wheat germ

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 C white whole wheat flour

1/2 C chocolate chips

1/4 C cinnamon chips (you could just do all chocolate chips)

1/2 C honey

1 egg, beaten

1/2 C canola oil

2 tsp. vanilla

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13x9 pan.

* Mix together oats, sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour & chips.

* Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; pour in wet ingredients.

* Mix together with hands.

* Pat mixture into the bottom of your pan.

* Bake for 25 minutes.

* Cut immediately after you take them out.

* Let cool completely before serving.

By the way, I noticed in the grocery circular this week that a box of 10 Quaker chewy granola bars cost $2.50 as a sale item. So, it would have cost you $6 to buy as many as I made. And the Nature Valley 12-pc crunchy granola were $3.50, which would have been $7 to buy as many as I made. But I also tried to use as many organic ingredients as possible, so if you compare it to the Taste of Nature granola bars on sale for $1 each, it would have cost $24 (although, if you were to buy them not on sale it would cost you approx. $1.50 each, making the total $36.

I added the cinnamon chip because I ran out of chocolate chips, but I think I would change it to being 3/4 C chocolate chips and not use any cinnamon chips.