Crunchy

Update: I forgot to mention this when I first posted this post. Mrs. JP asked if the bars turned out chewy or crunchy. Well, the bars are crunchewy.

We have been on a granola bars kick lately. We love the Nature Valley bars, both chewy and crunchy ones. The flavors that I love are Cinnamon, Pecan Crunch and Brown Sugar. Last week while I was enjoying a granola bar, I thought I should look up some recipes and try making some myself. Here's the recipe I found. I did make a few changes, noted in (Italic). Sorry I didn't take any pictures.

Crunchy Granola Bars
Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats (I didn't have rolled oats so I used old-fashioned oats)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I increased to 1 1/2 tsp because I love cinnamon)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup raisins (optional) (I didn't add raisins)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey (I used dark corn syrup because I was out of honey)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. (Note: My 9x13 pan was unavailable at the time, so I used a smaller pan about 8x11, not a good idea. The bars are thinker and because they are suppose to be crunchy, it's kinda hard to bite into it. With the right pan, the bars are thinner and it should be easier to eat. I do like the flavor, it is very tasty)
2) In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands.
3) Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. (I sprayed my hands with some PAM and that made it so much easier when patting the mixture in the pan)
4) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be to hard to cut.

Nutrition Information:
Servings Per Recipe: 24
Amount Per Serving Calories: 161
Total Fat: 5.5g
Cholesterol: 9mg
Sodium: 80mg
Total Carbs: 26.5g
Dietary Fiber: 1.4gProtein: 2.6g
Nutrition InfoPowered by: ESHA Nutrient Database

p/s: Samantha & June here, we love mommy's granola bars. They are paws-lickin' good!