A good-for-your-health snack | Your Valley

By Lynda Balslev for TasteFood

Wholesome, high-energy snack meals is the proper pick-me-up in the course of the work or college day and gives a dietary enhance of power, which improves focus and stamina. Whereas nailing the vitamin could also be simpler to perform when getting ready a sit-down meal, it’s typically tough to attain in a snack when you find yourself grabbing meals on the go. What are you able to eat that’s transportable, scrumptious and wholesome? Look no additional than these selfmade granola bars. Snacking by no means felt, or tasted, so good.

The great thing about selfmade granola bars is that you may choose and select your substances, omitting extra sugars, fats and components with out sacrificing taste. Whereas these bars usually are not totally sin-free, they’re full of nutrient-rich oats, almonds and dried fruit. Every bar gives a welcome dose of protein, fiber, nutritional vitamins and minerals, which ought to justify making a batch for munching.

This recipe is impressed by a tried-and-true granola bar recipe from Ina Garten.

I’ve stored her ratios of dried to moist substances practically the identical to make sure the bars will stick collectively, which could be a problem with granola bars. This recipe leans into maple and cinnamon, which I like in granola. For a gluten-free model, use gluten-free oats.

Do-it-yourself Granola Bars

Lively time: quarter-hour
Complete time: 45 minutes, plus cooling time
Yield: Makes roughly 18 to 24 small bars

2 1/4 cups old style oats
3/4 cup chopped uncooked almonds
3/4 cup unsweetened grated coconut
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup (packed) gentle brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon floor cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups combined dried fruit, similar to chopped apricots, cranberries and cherries

Preheat the oven to 350 levels. Butter an 8-by-11-inch baking pan and line with parchment.

Mix the oats, almonds and coconut in a bowl. Unfold on a rimmed baking sheet and bake till aromatic and evenly toasted, 8 to 10 minutes. Take away from the oven and switch to a big bowl. Stir within the almond meal.

Cut back the oven temperature to 300 levels.

Soften the butter in a small saucepan over medium warmth. Whisk within the sugar and syrup, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Take away from the warmth and stir within the vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Pour over the oats, stirring to completely mix.

Stir within the dried fruit.

Dump the batter within the ready pan and unfold to evenly distribute, gently urgent down.

Switch to the oven and bake till golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Take away and funky utterly within the pan till agency, at the least 2 hours. Reduce into squares or rectangles. Retailer at room temperature in an hermetic container.