Homemade Granola Bars Photo Courtesy Flickr - Joel Washing

Have you ever wondered about how to make granola bars at home?

There are dozens of different granola bars available at the grocery store, so there’s really no need to make them yourself, unless you want to.

I think granola bars are perfect snacks any time of day – as part of a grab and go healthy breakfast, afternoon snack or lunch bag treat. That’s why I developed this great ebook of granola bar recipes for you.

Granola bars come in lots of different flavors and styles. Some granola bars are chewy; some are crunchy. Some have long lists of ingredients and others just a few. Some homemade granola bars call for prepared granola, while others call for common granola like ingredients such as rolled oats, nuts, fruits, and a variety of sweeteners.

The first thing you need to do is figure out what kind of granola bar you want to make – chewy, crunchy, cakey – and then find a great granola bar recipe that seems like a good match.

I think it’s important to remember that granola recipes are meant only to be a guide that you can experiment with till you get them the way you like them. If a granola bar recipe calls for raisins, and you prefer dried cherries, make the switch. Baking is meant to be fun and creative, provided your substitutions make sense, such as one kind of fruit or nut for another.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make granola bars, you will be surprised at just how easy they are. Homemade granola bar recipes are quick and easy, like other bar cookie recipes, only healthier. Most contain dried fruits and nuts, and often call for whole-wheat flour.

Homemade Granola Bar Tips & Tricks

Read the recipe thoroughly before beginning to make sure you  have all the necessary ingredients and equipment and understand what you need to do.

• Use the specified size pan so your granola bars are the right thickness and bake properly.
• For easy clean up, line the baking pan with foil that extends over the edges on at least 2 sides by at least 1 inch.  This will create “handles” for lifting the slab of granola bars out of the pan once they have baked and cooled. You’ll be able to cut them more evenly too.
• To line your pan – turn the pan upside down. Tear off a piece of foil longer than the pan and place the foil on top of the pan. Wrap the foil around the pan and then carefully remove it. Turn the pan right side up and then place the foil liner inside the pan gently shaping it to fit.
• Measure accurately. Use metal or plastic measuring cups for dry ingredients and clear glass or plastic measuring cups with a spout for liquid ingredients. Fluff your flour with a whisk before scooping or spooning into your measuring cup and leveling with the flat side of a knife or spatula.
• Use the fat or shortening specified in the recipe. Soft, whipped, liquid, or reduced fat butters or margarines contain too much water and will not produce good results.
• Preheat the oven for 10 to 15 minutes and use an oven thermometer to make sure the oven temperature is correct for baked granola bars.
• Cool your granola bars on a wire rack so that air can circulate and they don’t become soggy.
• Cool completely before storing.

Now you have all you need to get baking. Here’s a link to my favorite granola bar recipe or to my free e-book of granola bar recipes – if you like lots of choices.

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