I have been trying to master the granola bar for a few weeks now, but so far every batch has had its issues. Batch number 1, too hard. Batch number 2, too soft. Both batches were very tasty though (probably due to an unhealthy dose of butter). Today I decided to try batch number 3.  Martha Stewarts Cookie of the Day a couple of days ago was actually a health bar, which sounded pretty close to what I wanted . It also had the added bonus of giving me a way to use up the leftover pitted dates I had in the freezer. I thought the consistency in batch number 3 was the best, but my brother said they were more like a power bar than a granola bar.

We both thought they tasted..well.. lets just say they tasted healthy.

I changed the combination of nuts and dried fruit and used a combination of oatmeal and quinoa flakes, but otherwise made the recipe as instructed.

Health Bars

• 1 cup pitted pressed dates
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup quinoa flakes
• 1 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup dried blueberries
• 1/3 cup dried apricots
• 3 tbsp ground flax
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large saucepan cover dates with water and bring to a simmer, mixing often. The water and dates will combine to form a paste.
3. Add oatmeal, quinoa flakes, nuts, dried fruit, flax and cinnamon to pot. Stir until well combined.
4. Press mixture into a greased 8 inch square baking pan.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, until edges are golden.
6. Allow to cool completely then cut into squares.

Although I realize these are very good for me and will make an excellent mid morning snack, I don’t think I’ll be making them again. The hunt for the perfect granola bar recipe continues.