Granola Bars

You know how some people are always hungry? The ones who eat all their meals on time and are still hungry in between? Need a snack every now and then? No!! Don’t call them greedy! God just made them very hungry… Well, I am not claiming to be one of ‘them’ but this Granola Bar would be super for them! It would be great for a midnight snack or even better to carry around in your purse if you were out for the day. And totally guilt-free!! If you ignore the chocolate chips… and the condensed milk… But in spite of these I rarely eat something this healthy.

I’m not really a fan of ‘healthy food’. I would never choose muesli over a cheese omelette or a juice over a milkshake. Sure, I love salads, but there’d have to be some kind of meat in it to lure me. Lettuce and tomatoes just don’t make me ooh and aah the way a bite of steak would! But I think this bar has surprised me. I did have second thoughts about making them but am glad I did. I’d also like to refer to them now on as Energy Bars! All those nuts and fruits can really save your day when you’re too busy to eat (though I hope that never happens to me!!!).

What I absolutely love about them is their versatility. The possibilities are endless. You can add anything you like… avoid anything you don’t… some people switch the condensed milk for honey. So the recipe is just a general guideline but you just do whatever you feel like along the way :-)




I tweaked the recipe a bit, didn't add butter and added some cashewnuts instead of coconut.

Recipe
- originally from here
 
Makes about 24 servings
 
Ingredients


3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

2.In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sweetened condensed milk, butter, coconut, almonds, chocolate chips and cranberries with your hands until well blended. Press flat into the prepared pan.

3.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, depending on how crunchy you want them. Lightly browned just around the edges will give you moist, chewy bars. Let cool for 5 minutes, cut into squares then let cool completely before serving.


Please do let me know if any interesting combinations come to your mind, I'd love to try them!