Homemade Granola Bars

hip·pie [hip-ee]
noun
what I am slowly turning into, the longer I stay at home with my son.


Making granola for my husband made me suspicious, but baking granola bars has confirmed this hippie transformation.

This recipe is really quick to pull together and is completely customizable. Next time I think I'll replace the pumpkin with bananas, peanut butter chips for chocolate chips, and walnuts for the cranberries. The finer you chop the nuts and fruit, the better the bars will hold together.

Granola Bars

2 1/2 cups quick cooking rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped raw almonds (or pecans or pistachios)
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/3 cup whole wheat flour*
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin (not pie filling!)
1/2 cup liquid honey
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13" baking pan with parchment paper, letting paper overhang on two opposite sides (so you can use it to pick up the granola bars after baking).
Combine first 9 ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, honey, butter and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until dry ingredients are coated.
Pour the wet granola mixture into the prepared pan and spread it evenly to the edges. Using your hand, press down firmly on the granola so that its tightly packed in the pan.
Bake on middle oven rack for about 25 min until top turns a light golden brown and feels dry to touch. Remove pan to wire rack and cool completely. Lift cooled granola slab from pan (by holding onto parchment paper) and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the granola into bars. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container, either at room temperature or in the fridge.

*For a gluten-free version, make sure the oats are gluten-free. Replace whole wheat flour with oat flour. To make oat flour, place oats in food processor and pulse until oats have a flour-like consistency. Use 1/3 cup ground oats for this recipe.

**Recipe is from The Looneyspoons Collection by Janet & Greta Podleski