Granola Bars with Olive Oil

It has been a while since I have cooked, I mean really cooked. The first thing that I needed to do before I started up again was give my pantry a much needed overhaul. Throughout the process I realized I had a lot of odds and ends that needed to be used up pronto. I had rolled oats, some unsweetened coconut, a few raisins and some sliced almonds. This is when I decided on making granola bars. I've never attempted granola bars before but I remembered how much I liked the olive oil granola I made a while back. With that I scoured the Internet for a good base line recipe. I ended up using this  Barefoot Contessa recipe and made my own changes. I substituted olive oil for butter, used a bit more honey and a little less sugar and added some cinnamon. The only dried fruit I had on hand were raisins and I toyed with the idea of throwing some dark chocolate chips in for good measure but decided against it at the last minute. The final result was a very good, crunchy granola bar. It would be very easy to adapt this recipe to fit your own wants and needs, I say give it a try!

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup rasins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a  8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a cookie sheet nd bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the olive oil, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the raisins and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

* Recipe adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa

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