Granola Bars

This recipe comes from the 30 Day Gourmet's Freezer Cooking Manual by Nancy Slagle. This cookbook offers charts that increase each recipes ingredients to make multiple servings for freeze ahead cooking. I'm posting the recipe for 1 batch or 16 servings. I like to make these for the kids lunches.

Granola Bars

1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. honey or corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup flour (white or whole wheat)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
2 cups crisp rice cereal
1 c. chopped nuts or sunflower seeds

(I sometimes add mini chocolate chips.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9" x 13" baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine oil, brown sugar, honey or corn syrup, vanilla and eggs.

Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Mix well.

With a large spoon, stir in oats, cereal, nuts and any optional dried fruits or baking chips if desired.

Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan.

For chewy bars bake for 25 minutes.
For crunchy bars, bake at 300 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.

Cool completely. Cut into bars.

To freeze: If you double or triple, etc, the recipe you can freeze these ahead. I wrap individual bars in a piece of wax paper and then freeze in a large freezer bag.