Thank you for your comments on my previous post. I truly loved receiving your responses, and was very encouraged by all the opinions, perspectives and personal experiences out there.
This past weekend I got in touch with my inner hippie, and spontaneously decided to make granola bars at eleven o’clock one night (thankfully, Steve was gone on a white water rafting trip, and did not witness this moment of insanity from his wife). I’m still not quite sure what possessed me to do that. As we have become more health-conscious in recent months, our refrigerator and pantry have begun to resemble those of a hippie commune. Soy milk, brown rice, tofu, dried fruit, whole wheat pita bread…it’s all there. So I suppose homemade granola bars seemed like the next logical step.
After reading a bunch of granola bar recipes, I came up with the one below. Since it was late at night, beyond grocery store hours, I had to work with ingredients that we already had (which explains the weird blend of fruit). While I’d like to refine the recipe at some point, these actually turned out great. They were chewy and delicious. Plus homemade granola bars are healthier and way less expensive than the store-bought ones! This recipe has so many options, and can be made to fit your taste. Next time I think I’ll add flax seed, almonds and dried cherries.
Granola Bars
2 cups oats
1/4 cup sesame seed
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups dried fruit, chopped (I used apricots, cranberries and lychee)
Butter a 9×9-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread oats onto a sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sesame seeds and toast for another 2 minutes. In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, peanut butter, vanilla and salt in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until combined. Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and immediately add it into 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. Cool completely and cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.
The Larissa Monologues 
yummm those look really good + healthy. i think i’m going to have to try them!and.. your blog looks so pretty!
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those look delicious. i hope to try them sometime 🙂
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Wow, seriously? I am not that talented.
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I so want to try this recipe!! So much better than store-bought ones with high fructose corn syrup and about 50 unpronounceable ingredients.
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These look delicious. I can’t wait to try them out!
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okay those sound delicious. i love all your healthy eating 🙂
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wow. i never would have thought to make my own granola bars. i am totally going to try this.ps: i often do completely random things at odd hours too 🙂
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I love the simple list of ingredients. I’ve been on the prowl for a new granola bar since I decided to look at the ingredients list of my old standby…some freaky stuff!
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Chewy, delicious and healthy…and definitely <>way more<> eye-appealing than brains! Teehee 😉
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I get crazy and boil water for tea. You get crazy and make granola bars that look so good my mouth water. I want to be your kind of crazy.
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Onolicious! It’s been in the back of my mind to try to make “power bars”–Homemade is almost always better (and cheaper).Thanks for the great ideas Larissa. You never fail to impress me!
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YUM – O!!
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Your recipes always sound so yummy!
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Ok, those actually look good. I mean some granola bars look horrid, but yours look like it tastes really good, and I bet you won’t lose a tooth eating it. I hate when most granola bars are so hard they almost take a tooth out. Thanks for sharing and inspiring.
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you think you had a hippie moment. me and kaylee just finished hanging our tie-dye shirts up to dry… must be the alignment of the stars or something
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These granola bars look lovely! I tried some a few weeks back the theydidn;t turn out nearly as lovely. Not even close. I got many bowls of granola out of that recipe:) Also- regarding your other post, I appreciate the humor and insight in your response. I’m a multi-racial woman am I can say, without hesitation, that I had no confusion or heartache growing up. It’s a new multi-racial world. And it feels great!
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I only just made my first bars recently as well, and it was a learning experience. I’m glad to see how you did yours and how they came out–they look excellent!
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Those look SO tasty!!!
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ooo those look delish!!
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Yum! I sometimes get the urge to bake in the middle of the night, too, so I know how that goes. And these look absolutely lovely! I’m going to HAVE to try the recipe!
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Drool inducing, as always 🙂Um, I’m so excited to meet you next weekend!!! You’re still coming right? xoxo
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You’re not truly a hippie until you’re making your own yogurt.And those look amazing. I’ve been looking for a good energy bar recipe for a long time. I love Clif bars, Luna bars, and organic Balance bars, but they get old after a while.
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These looks really good. Can’t wait to try them. Thanks for the recipe. Alexander< HREF="http://www.kakinan.com/alex" REL="nofollow">Alex’s World! – http://www.kakinan.com/alex<>
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Oooh these look really good. I made peanut butter granola bars a couple months ago but they didn’t come out quite so clean!
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Oh yum. I’m so jealous. You are such a wonderful cook. Please teach me. 🙂
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ooh sounds so good. i say that about everything you make, i realize…but it’s true!
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It look’s to good to be through I am definitely going to try this
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Try adding pretzel sticks and a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips in place of the fruit. That sweet & salty combo is HEAVENLY!!!
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I know in my heart, that I could very happily live off of something like this.Great post.
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Those look very good, & much simpler than the ones I've been making lately. Thank you for the recipe!
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I am forever making granola. I make one similar to yours. And recently I made a no bake one. Nice for hot days, weeks, Anyway thank you for this delicious recipe I will try it out.
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I’m new to your blog, but I whipped up a batch of these last night (I’m a college student with a busy schedule — if I don’t have fare to pack with me I tend to skip meals). These are awesome! I was raving about them so much my boyfriend wants me to make him a batch too =)
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