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Wild Honey, Pumpkin Seed and Chocolate Chunk Granola:
Granola can serve as a breakfast, a dessert, a snack and an energy food. It is a nutritious, energy-rich food that will fit into any healthy diet.
I recently learned of the health benefits of dark chocolate and by incorporating it into a great granola recipe, I became a fan. I've bought the bars, squares and the chips. Of those, the chips are the most convenient. Semi-sweet chocolate morsels contain less fat and sugar than some other chocolate products and still satisfy my cravings; After all, dark chocolate is a new health food. No kidding, look it up!
1/3 c. safflower oil
1 c. wild, raw honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
5-6 c. old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
1 c. wheat germ
2 c. unsalted pumpkin seeds
1/2 c. walnuts or cashews
1/2 c. brown sugar (optional)
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate morsels
2 c. golden raisins or other dried fruits
Preheat oven to 300º F and line two, 12"x18" rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper, and then spray with non-stick cooking oil.
Mix together dry ingredients: oats, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, nuts and brown sugar.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the honey (you can use virtually any honey in this recipe), safflower oil and salt. Here's a trick: If you lightly oil the measuring cup you use for the honey, it will come out easily.
Stir until warm and well blended. Honey mixture should be warm enough to pour freely. Add vanilla and stir again. Pour warm honey mixture over oat mixture and stir until well coated.
Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheets and bake, stirring at 15 minute intervals until toasted and deep golden in color, about 35 minutes. Watch closely to prevent burning. Granola will not seem crispy until it cools completely.
Hearty Granola Bars
This is an adaptation of the preceding granola using all the same ingredients in the same proportions. Only the method is different. You won't be baking anything other than the rolled oats and possibly the coconut, if you are using it. Toasting the coconut is optional (it's done the same way as the oats and baked for about 10 minutes), but toasting the oats is essential.
Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray a large baking sheet (preferably one with 1-inch sides for easier stirring) with cooking oil. Spread rolled oats evenly across the bottom of baking sheet and give the oats a light spray with cooking oil. Bake until lightly toasted to a golden color, stirring once or twice. This will take approximately 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Turn the oven off; you're done with it.
Combine the oats, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds and other nuts, brown sugar, and coconut. Any other dry additions, like dried fruit, popcorn or raisins, should be added now. (Reserve the chocolate morsels to be used as an optional topping later.)
Line a 9"x13" baking pan with lightly oiled parchment paper that extends up and over the sides. The overlapping material will be your "handles" to lift the bars out of the pan later. You can also use waxed paper or plastic wrap.
In a medium saucepan, combine the safflower oil, honey and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, to the soft-ball stage (forms a soft ball when drizzled into cold water). This will take approximately 2-3 minutes.
The degree to which this mixture cooks will determine the degree of crunchiness or softness in your bars. Feel free to experiment. This recipe reflects my preference for a medium "chew" and firmness in the bars.
Immediately pour the hot honey mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring until well distributed. While warm (not hot), press granola mixture firmly into the baking pan, using the overlapping parchment paper to protect your hands and help compress mixture. At this point, you can sprinkle the chocolate morsels over the top (optional) and in a few minutes they will melt, forming a nice chocolate topping that will harden as the bars cool. Let sit for about 10 minutes.
Using the overlapping parchment paper as handles, lift the pressed honey and oat mixture out of the pan and onto a cutting surface. Before it cools completely, cut into bars or squares using a heavy knife. This recipe makes about 24 bars, 130 calories each.
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