Sesame Granola Bars

Sometimes, I really have to wonder if I’m a baking genius. Just kidding! (not really…)

Would you like me to tell you the secret to making yummy goods? Resign yourself to the fact that every once in a while, you’re going to make something that’s a total bust. But I promise you, you will have learned something that will help you make something crazy good the next time. Also, the more recipes you read and try, the more you’ll realize which ingredients are key and which are a little excessive (ie: sugar in every Paula Dean recipe).

—————————————————————————————————————————–

The other week, my mom and I were grocery shopping and I had a box of granola bars in my hand, ready to deposit into the cart. Let me set the scene for you:

Shion picks up a box of overpriced (but on sale!) Kashi granola bars

Mom looks at the price and looks at Shion.

Shion: “Do you think it’s too expensive?”

Mom: “No, I don’t think it’s expensive.”

Shion: “Okay.”

Shion puts granola bars in cart.

Mom: “But personally, I wouldn’t buy it myself because I think it’s too expensive for what it is.”

Shion: “Right. Okay.”

Shion slowly puts the granola bars back on shelf.

What can I say, moms always know best. I can’t say I was fully confident in my decision at the time but when your mother tells you to do something, you generally do it. For instance, in eighth grade, it was “cool” for girls to tweeze their eyebrows into thin lines. My mom always told me they were too thin but I figured she just didn’t know because she was old. And my mother. Now I look back at pictures of myself and realize I should’ve listened to her. My eyebrows have never been happier, I assure you.

—————————————————————————————————————————–

All of this to say, after thinking about it for a while, I decided I could probably make a cheaper, healthier version of granola bars. I looked up a bunch of recipes (and it so happens the New York Times had a granola bar recipe that week) but I decided I wanted mine to be crunchy and not soft and dense like most homemade granola bars.
This revelation led me to create this mess in my kitchen:

Always, always write down any adjustments you make in a recipe because you will forget when you go to make it the next time. You will.

I used what I had and ended up with wonderfully crunchy, healthy granola bars.

Ingredients:

2 cup oats

1/3 cup of egg whites (most like 2 large egg whites?)

3 Tablespoons sesame seeds (yeah, I’m still trying to get through them)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup coconut (obvi)

2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoon agave (I ran out of honey but otherwise, just use 4 Tablespoons honey)

¼ cup dried blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

Smush it into a 9×9 baking pan.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

And that’s it!

They’re a bit flaky so you can add a little more honey if you’d like. You can also add at least 1/3 cup of other chopped nuts instead of sesame seeds because I realize they’re not for everyone and also substitute the dried blueberries with any other dried fruit.

This batch made six granola bars and have kept pretty well in plastic wrap. They are great to stick in your purse or keep at your desk.

Tags: granola bars