Weekend Plate: DIY Healthy Granola

By Carlene Helble

As much as I love the Food Network, my favorite shows are the ‘oldies but goodies’. Iron Chef America, Molto Mario, and Good Eats would beat out Next Food Network Star or recent bleached goatee add-ons any day for me.

The boyfriend and I were recently watching throwback Alton Brown episodes of Good Eats, when the granola and energy bar episode came on. This episode is the reason why I love Alton (one reason anyway); ‘healthy’ snack bars should not have chemical induced ingredients lists that run the entire length of the package. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what you’re actually eating? I know, slow down world, novel thought announcement!

This weekend I followed Alton’s recipe found on the Food Network website for home made granola bars. If you have the time, and access to bulk ingredient bins (Whole Foods, Wegmans, Martins, etc…) this recipe is a definite do! Keep a bar in your bag for a quick pick me up you can feel good about.

Alton Brown Granola Bars

Ingredients

8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, about 2 cups

1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, about 1/2 cup

3 ounces sliced almonds, about 1 cup

1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, about 1/2 cup

6 ounces honey, about 1/2 cup

1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, about 1/4 cup packed

1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit

*We used dates and cherries for our bars.

Directions

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. 

Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.