Granola bars

 Let's get one thing straight - these aren't healthy for any reasonable definition of healthy.  These granola bars have tons of sugar and butter - and while dried fruit, nuts, and whole grains, it doesn't make up for the fact that these are essentially cookies.  Just like commercial granola bars.  However, the flavors can be more interesting than commercial granola bars, and you can avoid certain ingredients if you like.  I made a big batch of these for Jamie's breakfasts during his hour car commute.  I'm working on a couple variations for the next batch.  Switching the sweetener (brown rice syrup, maple syrup, honey, etc.) and the add-ins (dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips) creates totally different recipes.  Remember the chemistry though - if you want chewy bars your ingredients need to be as hydrophilic as possible.  As always, better ingredients yield better results.  These are easy enough to make, but a pain to store and transport - I wrapped them in parchment paper then placed them in a big ziptop bag in the refrigerator, pulling one or two out every morning in my terrible impression of a doting housewife.

Almond cranberry granola bars

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup flax seed oil

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup agave syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup almonds

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar.
Add the rest of the wet ingredients and beat well.
Take 1/2 cup of the oats, place them in a blender or food processor and grind into a fine flour.
Sift the oat flour, baking powder, and salt together into a separate bowl.
Whisk or mix in the remaining oats.
In thirds, add the oat mixture to the wet mixture.  Beat until well combined.
Remove paddle attachment and replace with bread hook or remove and do the rest of the mixing by hand.
Add cranberries and almonds.
Mix until everything is well combined.
Spray an 8 x 8 pan with baking spray or oil (I use silicone - I strongly recommend it in this case).
Lay a piece of parchment paper over the sprayed pan, with significant overhang on each side.
Spray parchment paper with baking spray or oil.
Scoop mixture into pan.
Press down to even out mixture.
Bake until edges are just browned, about 25-30 minutes.
Remove pan from oven.
Let cool slightly.
Using the parchment paper as a sling, remove granola bar mass and place on a flat surface.
Cool completely, then place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours or freezer for 20 minutes.
Cut granola bars into squares while very cold.
Wrap in parchment paper to store.