Pronunciation Station

A few days ago, my dad was reading a recipe that I had pulled up on my iPad. He was saying the name of the recipe out loud and when he got to the the word "quinoa" he got the "qu" sound out, then proclaimed, "if you can't pronounce it, you shouldn't eat it." I promptly told him that it is pronounced keen-wa. He pretended not to hear me. I think that was his attempt to ensure he will never have to eat quinoa.

I'll keep you updated.

Speaking of being able to pronounce ingredients, have you ever read the ingredients of a granola bar? No? Let me help you out with that.

Kinda gross, right? What are glyceryl lacto esters of fatty acids and BHT? I don't really want to eat that.

That being said, I introduce to you Homemade Granola Bars!

These babies are crazy addictive and contain no suspicious ingredients. The best part? They take 10 to 15 minutes to throw together. 

 In the food processor goes almonds, pecans and oatmeal.

Process until crumbly. Don't over process though! 

 

Now, pour into a large bowl. Roughly chop the remaining pecans and almonds, then add them, the remaining oats, and craisins to the processed mixture. 

Go ahead and set them aside. In a saucepan, combine coconut oil, honey, salt and almond and vanilla extract. Stir and set over medium heat.

We will return to this recipe, but first, a message from coconut oil:

I've never cooked with coconut oil before, but let me tell you, it gives these granola bars the best buttery flavor. You can find it at Food Pyramid in the health food section.

Back to the show.

Go ahead and keep stirring. Don't leave the pan though, it heats up pretty quick. Once it starts to foam, give it 15 more seconds, then remove.

 

Pour your hot mixture into the dry ingredients and stir like crazy. 

Once it cools down a little, not a whole lot (Sorry. This blog isn't called Adventures in SPECIFIC Cooking), stir in some white chocolate chips.

 

Once you stir it in, the white chocolate will melt a little. That's okay. A little melted chocolate never hurt anyone. Right? Well, maybe it has. Okay, don't quote me on that. 

After you stir it all together, pour into an 8x8 pan lined with waxed paper

At this point, you can use the bottom of a glass, a spatula, or like me, a mixture of both. Either way, flatten the mixture. You're going to want to push on the stuff really hard so it stays together. 

After it's all together, go ahead and sprinkle some more white chocolate chips on the top and push in gently with your fingers. 

Now comes the hardest part. Fold the excess wax paper over the top and put in the refrigerator for 4 hours. I know. I know that it's going to be hard and you're going to want to eat them immediately, but I promise you that it will be worth it. 

After 4 long, agonizing hours, pull out the bars and cut into 16 pieces. Then, using the wax paper, pull the granola bars out of the pan. They will easily break apart. Resist the urge to eat the whole pan and store in the fridge. If you store it on the counter, the bars will fall apart. Not that I know from experience or anything.

These bars are amazing. I think one of the greatest parts about them is that they are customizable to your tastes. Do you like pretzels and chocolate? Totally doable. Just substitute the craisins and white chocolate chips. Or what about raisins and butterscotch chips? The possibilities are literally endless. 

These bars are out of this world. I love eating one for breakfast with my coffee. It keeps me full for a few hours without weighing me down like a heavy breakfast usually does. They are something you can feel good about eating and giving to the ones you love.

Homemade Granola Bars with Craisins & White Chocolate
Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

• 1 cup whole almonds
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1 cup old fashioned oats*
• 1/2 cup Craisins
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. honey
• 3 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• dash of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

 *I don't have a reaction to normal oatmeal, so I did not use gluten-free oats.

1. Add 1/2 cup of almonds, pecans and oats to a food processor. Process until crumbly, then add to a large bowl. Roughly chop remaining almonds and pecans and add them to the bowl. Throw in the remaining oats and 1/2 cup of craisins.

2. In a saucepan, add honey, coconut oil, salt, vanilla and almond extracts and put over medium heat. Stir continually. Once it starts to foam, keep on heat for 15 more seconds. Pour over dry ingredients and stir. Add in the white chocolate chips and stir.

3. Pour in an 8x8 pan lined with wax paper and flatten. Chill for at least 4 hours.

4. Cut into 16 pieces and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

***

I hope you enjoy these! Please comment below and tell me if you made them and what combinations you used or just let me know what combinations you would use. I love new ideas!

Kaci

P.S. What is the one thing you snack on everyday?

For me, it's cheese. It's so not waistline friendly, but I love it.