Nutrient-dense ingredients like sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ pack a healthy punch in these classic sweet and chewy homemade granola bars. This recipe first appeared in Season 9 of Good Eats.Photo by Lynne Calamia
6 1/2ounceschopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries, or blueberries
ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutesminutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hourhour
Yield: 16bars
Procedure
Butter an 8-by-11.5-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Heat the oven to 350ºF.
Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt in a large (4- to 6-quart) saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved, about 3 minutes.
Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven, and reduce the heat to 300ºF. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.