Today I learned to make granola bars from scratch

OK, I goofed. My original plan was to learn about homemade marshmallows today. I was doing some last-minute reading up on the process when I spotted the tiny-print tip saying that too much humidity can affect your success in mallow-making. Aw, MaN! My dryer vents into the house right now to keep up the humidity, and it's right off the kitchen, so my marshmallow-making area is in the hot zone. Literally. It feels like a rain forest in there. Since I'd already started the laundry process (and am in dire need of fresh socks) I figured I would just have to delay for a day. But since I promised to learn something tasty from scratch, I came up with a back-up idea:

Today I Learned to Make Homemade Granola Bars

I love granola bars. They are my favorite thing to eat for breakfast.

Unfortunately, my daughter is allergic to peanuts,
a common ingredient in granola bars.

Fortunately, there's a great brand that makes their bars in a peanut-free factory.

Unfortunately, they stopped selling them at my grocery store. *sniffle*

Fortunately I learned today that it's really, really easy to make granola bars
AND they are even tastier than the ones I bought at the store!
(I just love it when things end on a "fortunately" don't you?)

The Ingredients for Homemade Granola Bars

(For a big batch - you can cut the recipe in half for a smaller batch.)

 5 cups quick-rolled oats

1 cup Rice Crispies

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 cup softened butter

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup granola bar "definers"*

*This is the fun part! What type of granola bars are these going to be? Cranberry Raisin? Apple Cinnamon? Chocolate Chip? Raspberry Almond? M&M? Reese's pieces? 

What sort of dried fruit or tasty candy bits or nuts would you use?

One tip I'd offer is to grease your measuring cup before putting the honey in, and grease your spoon before stirring so the honey doesn't stick.
My mom taught me that trick.
(Hi Mom!)

Step #1. Mix ingredients together

Put everything into the bowl and stir. Use your hands if you like, it's more fun.

Just be sure to work the butter before the honey.

Now, you spread into a pan and pat it in evenly. This amount makes enough for both a 9x13 and an 8x8 pan. Bake it at 350F for about 20 minutes,
or until the outside edges start to become browned.

Pull the pans out of the oven and allow them to cool completely

before cutting it into bars.

This allows them to set, so they're not crumbly, so it's important to wait.

I mean, unless you haven't eaten more than a few cheese and crackers at lunch

And your tummy is grumbling at you because it's hungry and there are warm,

mouth-watering granola bars sitting there.

Then it's ok to crumble a few.

I won't tell. ;)

The finished product:

You can store them in an air-tight container with parchment paper in between layers.

And you can use those mini "snack bags" if you need to take one "on the go."

You know, I've never eaten a warm granola bar before, and I have realized quite a lot lately that things are tastier when they are fresh out of the oven, and made from scratch. Scratch cooking is awesome.

I can't wait to try homemade marshmallows tomorrow!

I'll keep you posted!