Homeade Granola Bars!

I have recently been making homeade granola bars for breakfast in the morning and snacks during my day. They are soooo good, high in fiber so they keep you full through the morning, and have a lot of great nutrients. Try them for yourself!

HOMEADE GRANOLA BARS

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup of sliced almonds

1 cup of coconut

3 tbsp. butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup wheat germ

2 cups of your favorite dried fruit

Directions:

Heat the oven to 325. Butter a baking pan and then line with parchment paper and then set aside.

On a baking sheet, toast the oast, coconut and almonds for about 10 minutes or until just golden, mixing occationally during baking time. Remove from oven, set aside, and turn the oven up to 350 degrees.

In a small pot, combine the butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla extract, and salt. Bring to a boil for one minute over medium heat, stiring occationally.

On a cutting board, cut your dried fruit into small pieces. This will help the granola from falling apart after baking.

Pour the toasted almonds, oats, and coconut into a large mixing bowl and add the wheat germ. Pour the honey mixture on top of the toasted oat mixture and stir well. Add the dried fruit.

Empty the mixture onto the parchment-lined baking pan and place into the oven. Cook for 20-30 minutes depending on desired firmness of granola (I like mine to be a little softer so that I can put it over yogurt and such. If you leave it in for the full 30 min, it will be very brown when you take it out versus a light golden color).

Take out of oven and allow to cool for a couple of hours. The next morning, the granola will be at it peak firmess. Cut into large pieces and put into plastic sandwish bags to preserve freshness.

ENJOY!