White Chocolate and Cranberry Granola Bars
My kids grew up on homemade granola and homemade granola bars. When you have five children you learn how to do these things yourself! You can't afford the fancy stuff!
I credit my next door neighbour Mabel for teaching me how to make granola. It was a tasty way to get my children to eat oatmeal. They wouldn't touch it cooked, but if I turned it into granola, they didn't mind eating it at all.
As mom's we all want our kids to eat things that are healthy for them, including their breakfast cereals, and especially their snacks.
I heard on the television yesterday that the government was going to be banning eating food on buses to try to combat childhood obesity. I was like what the heck?
How is that going to combat childhood obesity? I may not be a really smart woman but I don't think banning eating on buses is going to do a heck of a lot for childhood obesity!!
How about making healthy food more affordable? There is something wrong when you can buy a package containing half a dozen fatty sausage rolls in pastry for less than you can a pack of green beans or a bag of apples. But that's just my opinion.
How about encouraging them to get off their butts and out the door to play? Too many children spend all of their time in front of a screen. Playing computer games, or watching television.
We liked watching cartoons when I was a child too, but they were only available at certain times of the day and week. Saturday mornings (so our parents could sleep in I guess) and there was a few programs on after school.
The general rule in our house was unless it was raining, you had to be outside playing. End of story. Otherwise you got stuck doing chores and housework. Trust me, we didn't mind being outdoors.
We didn't get bored either, because if we did, my mom soon found something for us to do and it wasn't going to be anything fun to do! Being bored was not an option!
Anyways, I digress. These granola bars make a nice snack for kids. They are filled with less fat and sugar than ready made ones and are filled with plenty of fibre and protein.
You can skip the white chocolate drizzle if you want to, but I think it adds a nice touch. You can also add nuts to the mix, replacing half the dried fruit with them, which would add even more protein. Delicious any way you choose to do it.
Yield: 16
White Chocolate and Cranberry Granola Bars
Making your own granola bars is not that hard and they taste far superior to those you can buy. I like that I can control what is in them.
ingredients:
For the bars:
- 240g old fashioned large flake Oatmeal (3 cups)
- 2 TBS butter
- 2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
- 2 TBS pure maple syrup
- 85g liquid honey (1/4 cup)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 115g dried cranberries (3/4 cup)
- 90g white chocolate chips (1/2 cup)
- 35g mixed sunflower and pumpkin seeds (1/4 cup)
You will also need:
- 75g white chocolate (3 ounces)
instructions:
How to cook White Chocolate and Cranberry Granola Bars
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Spread the oats onto two baking trays. Toast them in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, stirring them several times, until they are light golden brown and smell toasty.
- Like a 9 inch square pan with some waxed paper or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan on the stove. Add the brown sugar, maple syrup and honey. Cook, stirring until the sugar is melted and everything is amalgamated. Whisk in the vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamon. Stir in the toasted oats and combine well. Let cool completely. Stir in the chocolate chips, cranberries and seeds. Mix well together and then press into the lined pan. Place another sheet of wax paper or parchment paper on top and compress the mixture really well, until it is of an even thickness all over. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next morning, flip them carefully out onto a cutting board and peel off any paper. Cut into quarters with a sharp knife and then cut each quarter into 4 to give you 16 bars. Place them onto a wire rack placed over top of some wax or parchment paper. Break your white chocolate into squares and put into a microwave safe bowl. Melt in the microwave according to package directions. Using a spoon flick the melted chocolate over top of the granola bars. Leave to set before storing in an airtight container. These will keep for about a weeks or so, or you can freeze them tightly covered for longer.
If you are not a fan of white chocolate you can use dark chocolate and semi sweet chocolate chips. I just happen to think that white chocolate goes very well with dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds. These also make for a great breakfast on the go. Just sayin!
Up tomorrow: Carrot Cake Drop Scones
