Yummy, Yummy Granola Bars

A friend of mine had told me about these granola bars a while back and I thought that I had made them but didn't like them.  I was talking on the phone with the same friend while coming up with my menu and I had mentioned granola bars.  She reminded me of this recipe and I told her I didn't care for them but thanks anyway.

You gotta love this girl, she tells me that I must have messed them up and I have to try them again.  We usually seem to have the same tastes in food (other than Squirrel Pot Pie, love you Mel but I no way am I eatin' that stuff!) so I decided to give them a whirl, again.

I gather my supplies,wheat germ and all and then I start off making a batch of these granola bars that I am sure I will not like.  THEN, after I mix up my batch and I tasted them (no they were not cooked yet) I realized these were NOT the bars I had tried before.  The other thing that I realized was that it would probably be in my best interest to double, no make that triple my batch.

I am soo- glad that I because they are a W O W ! ! !  The kids really liked them too!  They are chewy and oh so good!! 

Three batches and much rambling later, here is the recipe....

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup raisins (optional)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

I tried to mix this up with that there spoon but ended up just using my hands as the recipe says.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.  In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. (I found that this worked best if my hands were slightly wet, it keep all the ooey gooey stuff from sticking to my hands)

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.  One batch makes about 24 bars.

I had started cutting and then remembered that I forgot to take a fresh out of the oven picture.

Here is what they looked like before everyone started digging into them.

ENJOY!!
ps: don't forget to double, no make that triple your batch!