Granola Bars

A simple, soft and chewy granola bars recipe that is delicious and can be adapted base on your favourite dried fruits, nuts or chocolate. The possibilities are endless-all you need to know is the base. Oats, butter, honey and brown sugar. After that, add what you like.

Ingredients:

• 230g rolled oats
• 80g whole almonds, coarsely chopped
• 113g honey
• 56g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 50g packed light brown sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• 60g dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

Method:

Heat oven to 175ºC. Line bottom and sides of a 8 inch or 9 inch square pan with aluminium foil. Then lightly oil or spray with cooking spray.

Add oats and almonds to a small baking sheet, then bake for 5 minutes, stir and bake another 3-5 minutes until lightly toasted. Transfer to a large bowl.

Combine butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla extract and then salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until butter melts and the sugar completely dissolves.

Pour butter mixture into a bowl with toasted oats and almonds. Mix well. Let cool about 5 minutes then add cranberries. Stir to combine.

Transfer oat mixture to lined pan then use a rubber spatula or damp finger tips to firmly press the mixture into the pan. (Press hard here, this way the bars will stay together once cooled and cut-press for about one minute to be extra safe).

Cover then refrigerate at least 2 hours. Remove block of granola mixture from pan then peel away aluminium foil. Cut into 12 pieces.

Store bars in an airtight container for up to one week. For the softest bars, keep at room temperature. For slightly harder bars, store in the fridge.