Perfect Gluten Free Granola Bars

So I made granola bars last night because I've been craving something easy to make for breakfast, and cereal doesn't agree with me too much these days (well, the milk really doesn't agree with me). I was vaguely hoping for something healthy... but convenience won out once I found this recipe, and they *are* semi-healthy (I put flax seeds in them ;). I thought, "this is good, the recipe makes a whole pan and I can eat a couple a day and they'll last me a while."

I didn't reckon with Hubs and his munchies whenever I make something (although I'm flattered that he likes my cooking so much). I also didn't plan on how much *I* would like them. This morning I've already eaten 5! They are sooo delicious, though a bit on the sweet side. I might cut the sugar next time.

I have always loved granola bars, and they were a staple food of mine when I was in college. Especially the Quaker Oats chewy ones (particularly the peanut butter & chocolate variety).  Yeah, those ones - aren't they yummy! I'm not much of a fan of hard, crunchy, break your teeth on 'em granola bars, so their polar opposite, Quaker Oats chewy granola bars, epitomized the perfect granola bar to me. But they aren't gluten free, so I resigned myself to live without them henceforth.

Once of the toughest parts of being gluten free is making sure I keep snack foods around that are safe and healthy for me to eat. I am not the kind of snacky person who eats all the time, huge bags of chips, but I am the kind of hypoglycemic person who needs to eat frequently - and to sustain myself, I need quick & easy small meals and upon occasion, instant meals in the form of snacks. 

And now, thanks once again to the fabulous Deb at Smitten Kitchen, I can make delicious, chewy granola bars just like the Quaker ones I'd given up forever. I went with the basics of Deb's recipe, making my own changes as I went along. And I agree with Deb - one of the best things about these granola bars is that they are incredibly flexible. As long as you have the right liquid to solid ratio, you can make pretty much any flavor or toss in any ingredients you like. I used what I had on hand.

Thick, Chewy (gluten free) Granola Bars
adapted from Smitten Kitchen, adapted from King Arthur Flour

• 1 2/3 cups gluten free oats (pulsed in the food processor a few times to make them more like conventional "quick cooking" oats)
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar (depends on how sweet you want them to be)
• 1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
• 2 - 3 cups dried fruits, nuts, corn flakes, puffed rice, flax seed, chocolate chips, or whatever suits your fancy! (I used corn flakes, flax seed & chocolate chips to make up the correct amount)
• 1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 6 Tbs melted butter
• 6 Tbs honey, maple syrup or corn syrup

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8x8x2 pan with parchment paper. Spray or grease the paper and the exposed pan lightly. 
2) Stir together all dry ingredients in one bowl. Whisk together all wet ingredients in another bowl (I just mixed them all in to the pan I melted the butter in). Pour wet into dry and mix until all is evenly coated and crumbly.
3) Press the "batter" into the prepared pan, spreading evenly and smoothly, making sure batter is pressed all the way into the pan.
4) Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.
5) Remove and allow to cool for 20 minutes in the pan. They will firm up as they cool. Remove from pan and continue cooling on a rack until fully cooled before you cut them.
6) Cut into squares and store in an airtight container. Or freeze for longer storage.

Verdict: These are a winner! Easy to make, chewy and delicious, with tons of options for adapting and creating any flavor you want, and wonderful to have in a pinch when you are hungry and have no time (or patience) to cook. Definitely becoming a staple in my diet!

Next Time:

• I think I'll make them in a 13x9 pan and compensate for the thinness by baking them less. I like the thinner kind better, also it will give me the illusion of having more bars and maybe I will make them last longer that way!
• Less sugar. They were very sweet which is nice, but makes me nervous about how healthy they are for breakfast when they taste like candy bars
• More peanut butter!
• I can't wait to experiment with dried berries and some chopped nuts and maybe some almond extract instead of the vanilla.

Oooh, just had an idea: Gluten free Nutrigrain bars (another favorite until I had to go gluten free)! That would be delicious. I'll have to try making those sometime.