Maybe the Second Time is the Charm?
A few weeks back, I posted a “failure” of mine when trying to make blueberry granola bars where I learned a bit about how following a recipe doesn’t necessarily mean that it will work out the way you think it will…
So, before leaving for my business trip, I decided to give it another go for a quick snack before my morning runs. I made a few modifications to the recipe, but generally kept it the same…
Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dried blueberries (changed from 2 cups fresh)
1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries (Just Strawberries brand, great addition from last attempt)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used whole and chopped in food processor, down from 1 cup last time)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla (I used double strength)
3 tbs canola oil
2 cups old fashioned Quaker Oats (changed from instant last time)
First you’ll want to mix the oats, pecans, strawberries and blueberries in a large mixing bowl. Preheat oven to 350F
Place the large mixing bowl aside and place oil, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla into a small saucepan and boil for 2 minutes WITHOUT stirring. While this is happening, line an 8×8 dish with parchment paper (do not be tempted to use a larger pan, it will not cook correctly).
After liquid mixture is done boiling, pour over dry mixture. Fold all dry into wet with a spatula. Pour into baking dish and spread evenly. It will look like a thick bar, this is where I got worried and moved it to a larger dish. Please don’t, it won’t set right otherwise.
Here is how it will look before going into the oven:
Put dish into oven and bake until golden brown on the top which will take ~40 minutes. When done, place baking dish on a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before removing from pan. Alternatively, if using parchment paper, you can use that to your advantage and pull it out to place directly on cooling rack to cool quicker.
This is how my product looked fresh out of the oven.
I did this in the evening and once it was just cool enough to lift out of the baking dish, I did so and let it sit covered with a towel overnight to cool off completely.
Not a perfect batch, but it still tasted yummy and I’m getting closer to perfecting this recipe for the humid nasty climate that is Houston.
Nutrition Info (makes 18 bars):
~61 cal
4 g fat
8 g carb
1 g fiber
1 g protein
