Craving Granola Bars

I woke up this morning with a craving for a granola bar. I wanted the crunchiness and chewiness that makes a granola bar, a granola bar. I viewed a few recipes online for inspiration until I came up with the perfect combination. I had on hand nuts and dried apples. I decided to create nutty-apple granola bars for breakfast. For my recipe, I wanted to keep them relatively healthy.

Nutty-Apple Granola Bars

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

3 Tablespoons shelled raw pistachios

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chopped dried apples

1/4 cup soy butter (or peanut butter)

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (you can use just butter)

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a glass loaf pan with cooking spray and then line it with parchment paper, allowing some to go up the sides.

Place 1/2 cup of the oats in a coffee/spice grinder. Process until it forms a powder.

Place the rest of the oats, about 1/2 cup at a time, in the spice grinder and pulse a couple times until the oats are slightly broken down.

(This is my adaptation for not having quick cooking oats on hand)

Place the pistachios in the spice grinder and process until a powder forms.

(*Tip: To add a slight sweetness without sugar, use pistachio powder). I was able to cut down the sugar in the recipe by half because of my addition of the pistachio powder.

Add the rest of the dry ingredients ending with the dried apples into a mixing bowl.

(*Tip #2: Use quality ingredients. I purchased this Vietnamese cinnamon at Penzeys Spice store while in Birmingham, AL. It cost more than any ground cinnamon I have purchased but it is so worth it. It has a strong depth of cinnamon flavor).

In another mixing bowl, melt the soy butter and unsalted butter together in the microwave. Whisk until combined. Add the evoo, honey, and vanilla.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry.

Spoon the mixture into the parchment paper-lined loaf pan. Firmly press the mixture into the pan.

Bake for 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Allow to cool at room temperature for 10-15 minutes and then in the refrigerator for another 10-15 minutes. Finally, use a serrated knife to cut into bars. (If it is too crumbly to cut, refrigerate longer).

Enjoy!