I'm new at making granola bars. This is something I've always wanted to try because my family is obsessed with them. I buy boxes for the kids to take to school, for snacks at home, and for when we go out during the weekend. So why not make some of my own? Well, I don't think it's hard at all, and once you know the basics you can just change ingredients and tweak it to create other flavored bars.
I wanted to add something special for the season, and pumpkin seeds were perfect. It's not often that you see the whole seed (including the white part) in a granola bar, but I love to eat them like that. The result is great - the bars are sweet and salty and it feels like you're getting lots of nutrition in there. Try them out. You'll have a wonderful homemade snack for the whole family!
by Dariela Cruz
What you'll need
- 3/4 cups of pumpkin seeds
- 3/4 cups of chopped peanuts
- 1 cup of rolled oats
- 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup of brown rice syrup
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
How to make it
- Preheat the oven to 325°.
- Mix the pumpkin seeds, peanuts, oats and cranberries together in a medium bowl.
- In a small saucepan, heat the syrup with the butter, the brown sugar and the cinnamon.
- Pour the syrup on the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Line an 8" x 8" oven dish with parchment paper (leave some parchment paper on the sides of the dish to help you later) and place the granola mix on the lined dish.
- Cook for 20 to 25 minutes. Take out of the oven and press down with a piece of parchment paper and a towel (so you won’t burn!) and let it cool down for at least 30 minutes.
- Grab the granola mix by the parchment paper sides, remove from the dish and turn it over. Cut in bars and place wax paper or parchment paper sheets in between them so they won’t stick to each other.
