Homemade Granola Bars

I love granola. I literally can't have it in the house, or I scarf it down within hours. It's just so yummy and I can't help myself. So when we do have granola, we make it ourselves and I make Ben take most of it with him when he's travelling. We have the most kick ass granola recipe, and I can't even remember where we got it from.

Today we're off out all day, and I hate being out, hungry and surrounded by crappy food. So I decided to attempt to make some granola bars for us to take with us so we don't have to survive on burgers or pizza. It was a total experiment, based on our granola recipe, and it was a huge success!

Giant granola bar, pre-cutting

Once baked and cut, I wrapped each bar in cling film to keep it fresh, then put them all in a Tupperware container. Now all that needs to happen is for me to eat them -- I'm hoping they'll last more than a day!

So very delicious

Homemade Granola Bars

2 cups rolled oats

1 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil (I used canola oil)

1/4 cup honey (or agave)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ripe banana, mashed

A few handfuls of chopped nuts, such as almonds or walnuts

A few handfuls of dried fruit, such as raisins or cranberries

Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Stir oats, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl.

Mix oil, honey, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add mashed banana and stir to combine.

Pour oil mixture into oat mixture and mix well, using a wooden spoon or your hands. Toss in nuts and dried fruit and mix well.

Pile mixture onto the baking sheet and form into a square, approximately 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the outer oats start to crisp.

Let granola square cool completely, then cut into 10 pieces with a sharp knife. Enjoy!