grandma’s granola bars.

Here’s a snack Emma and Mama Kitty whipped up for you.  Actually, as you can see, Mama Kitty was a total slacker, leaving all the mixing to Emma.

They are Grandma’s granola bars, and they’re as easy as can be.  We’ve done some exploring with oats previously, baking up some oatmeal, toasting this granola that is really just a blank canvas for whatever ingredients are laying around in your pantry, and now these bars.

What I love about oats is that they are so versatile – between oatmeal, crisps, granola, bars…we go through them like I blow through Peppermint Jo Jo’s at Christmas time (is it just me or are they over-the-top addicting?).

And oats are cheap!  Typically $.99/lb and most recently I bought them for $.69/lb on sale in bulk.

And since these bars are made with whole wheat flour, I felt less guilty tossing on some chocolate chips after pulling them out of the oven.  I should probably knock that off…

Bottomline: These bars ended up being $.21 per serving.  I’m fairly certain that’s less than you can find them at the store for, and since they’re homemade you can feel good knowing exactly what’s in them.  Also, I think you’ll kids will love ‘em.

Grandma’s Granola Bars

(makes 16 bars)

What You’ll Need:

2 cups oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup raisins, optional

1/2 cup honey

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9×13 baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and raisins, if desired. Add the honey, egg, oil and vanilla.  Mix together using a fork.  Pour the mixture into the pan and pat it down evenly.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the bars start to golden on the sides. Pull from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top, if desired.  They’ll get a little gooey.  Cool for 5 minutes, then cut them into bars while still warm. Do not allow them to cool completely before cutting or they will be hard and crumbly when you cut them.

TOTAL:  $3.38 or $.21 per serving.

Wondering how on earth I arrived at these costs?  Take a look at my shopping guide to show see what I pay for items, per serving, etc.

Nutrition:

190 calories per serving

7 grams of fat

27 carbs

3 grams protein

1 gram fiber

Mosey on over to Facebook and let me know what you think!