{ copied and pasted, but not tried - yet }

Cherry Almond Granola Bars

from honey and jam dot com blog

Today has been...less than great.

I woke up thinking I wouldn’t be able to bake at all, we were all out of propane. But then! Our tank was filled! I was feeling optimistic. I baked up some fantastically tasty granola bars.



When they had cooled, I headed downstairs to take photos. I set up the table, took a few shots, and then it happened. The cat jumped through the window, onto the cooling rack the bars were sitting on and flipped them all onto the floor. Every last one of them.

That’s not that bad, right? I mean, it’s a annoying, but it’s also kind of funny. You should have seen it, it was like something out of a cartoon.






Cherry Almond Granola Bars
adapted from Alton Brown

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (or more) cup dried cherries

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to 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 and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.