OK, I know "applesauce" is not hyphenated, but in the interest of consistency in the title of this post, I put the hyphen in there, and I'm not changing. This is the granola I make as a base for my Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars. It is simple, fast, easy, and cheap (just like me!). It is lower in fat and sugar than most store-bought varieties, and is not terribly interesting on its own, but just lovely to make into bars or stir into yogurt. Mine is a simpler version of this recipe, which looks delicious but contains the dreaded nuts and raisins that my children will not go near. Whip up a batch today - but don't be surprised if you get addicted...
Ingredients:
3 cups large-flake rolled oats
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup ground almonds
1/4 - 1/3 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp coconut oil
Pre-heat oven to 300F. Combine the oats, seeds, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the applesauce, sugar, honey and oil in a small saucepan and heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves (you could probably also do this in the microwave). Pour the applesauce mixture over the oat mixture and toss until the oats and seeds are well coated. Spread the mixture in a 9x13" pan and pop it in the oven. Bake it for about 50 minutes, stirring every ten minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Store in glass jars or airtight plastic containers for several weeks (if it lasts that long!) Makes about 5 cups.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
My kids love granola bars. LOVE them. The chewy, sugary kind from Quaker, which are peanut-free and safe to take to school, but with no nutritional punch and LOTS of chocolate. I wanted to give them something a little healthier, but still tender and tasty so I modified my recipe from this website, which has lots of variations and updates. You should check it out! The first time I made these I bought hemp seed granola from the Bulk Barn (because it was on sale), but have since started making my own - it is really easy, and much lower in fat and sugar than the store bought variety. I especially love that I can control and customize the ingredients, and homemade is SO much cheaper than store bought! For my homemade granola recipe, click here.
So, ready to make some bars? Here we go.
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey
2 cups granola (click for the recipe, or use your favourite)
1 cup crisp rice cereal
1/4 - 1/2 cup chocolate chips (regular or mini)
Butter, oil, or spray an 11x8 pan (or 2 loaf pans) and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and honey. Stir over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture starts to boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and set a timer for two minutes. Continue to stir as the mixture boils. When the 2 minutes are up, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the granola and rice cereal. Stir until everything is well coated and combined, then turn into your prepared pans. Press down firmly with the back of a spoon or spatula (or use a piece of buttered waxed paper). Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top and press them in firmly. Allow to cool at least twenty minutes (I sometimes do this just before bed and leave them on the counter overnight). Turn out onto a clean surface and cut into bars. If they are too crispy, you can either cut back on the boiling time of your butter mixture or not press quite so hard into the pan. Too soft, and you can try boiling the mix a little longer, or pressing everything a little harder into your pan. Depending on the size of your bars, this recipe yields 10 - 14 servings.
So, ready to make some bars? Here we go.
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey
2 cups granola (click for the recipe, or use your favourite)
1 cup crisp rice cereal
1/4 - 1/2 cup chocolate chips (regular or mini)
Butter, oil, or spray an 11x8 pan (or 2 loaf pans) and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and honey. Stir over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture starts to boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and set a timer for two minutes. Continue to stir as the mixture boils. When the 2 minutes are up, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the granola and rice cereal. Stir until everything is well coated and combined, then turn into your prepared pans. Press down firmly with the back of a spoon or spatula (or use a piece of buttered waxed paper). Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top and press them in firmly. Allow to cool at least twenty minutes (I sometimes do this just before bed and leave them on the counter overnight). Turn out onto a clean surface and cut into bars. If they are too crispy, you can either cut back on the boiling time of your butter mixture or not press quite so hard into the pan. Too soft, and you can try boiling the mix a little longer, or pressing everything a little harder into your pan. Depending on the size of your bars, this recipe yields 10 - 14 servings.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Banana Oat Muffins
In my ongoing quest to eliminate wheat from our diets, I've updated another of my old standby recipes, which is actually better now than it was before! I've used weights for the dry ingredients, since that's the most accurate and easiest way to make substitutions, but included conventional cups if you don't have a scale.
(If you don't have a scale, you should get one! Measuring ingredients by weight is so much easier and faster. And it's the only way to measure out your oils for soap making... stay tuned for instructions on that!)
230g (1.5 cups) oat flour (to make your own, pulse rolled oats in your blender or food processor until you have a fine powder.)
100g (1 cup) rolled oats
100g (1/2 cup) white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs (you can substitute eggs with chia seeds - 1Tbsp chia + 3 Tbsp water = 1 egg)
1/4 cup oil (I usually use grapeseed, but sometimes sesame oil)
1/4 cup milk (soy, almond or cow's milk all work the same)
1/4 cup molasses (blackstrap for extra iron, or "fancy" for a milder taste)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup mashed banana (about 3-4 large)
Pre-heat oven to 400F. Line muffin tin with paper muffin liners or grease them well.
Sift together dry ingredients - everything from oat flour to cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Pour into dry ingredients and stir to combine (don't over mix).
Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. Pop them in the oven for about 20 minutes, until they are done (stick a toothpick in them, or touch the tops to see if they feel right.)
Remove them from the oven and allow to cool. Enjoy!
(If you don't have a scale, you should get one! Measuring ingredients by weight is so much easier and faster. And it's the only way to measure out your oils for soap making... stay tuned for instructions on that!)
230g (1.5 cups) oat flour (to make your own, pulse rolled oats in your blender or food processor until you have a fine powder.)
100g (1 cup) rolled oats
100g (1/2 cup) white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs (you can substitute eggs with chia seeds - 1Tbsp chia + 3 Tbsp water = 1 egg)
1/4 cup oil (I usually use grapeseed, but sometimes sesame oil)
1/4 cup milk (soy, almond or cow's milk all work the same)
1/4 cup molasses (blackstrap for extra iron, or "fancy" for a milder taste)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup mashed banana (about 3-4 large)
Pre-heat oven to 400F. Line muffin tin with paper muffin liners or grease them well.
Sift together dry ingredients - everything from oat flour to cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Pour into dry ingredients and stir to combine (don't over mix).
Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. Pop them in the oven for about 20 minutes, until they are done (stick a toothpick in them, or touch the tops to see if they feel right.)
Remove them from the oven and allow to cool. Enjoy!
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