The sous chef loves the granola bars that I make him to take to work. Recently, he’s made several comments about how that recipe “must go on the blog” and “it’s too bad you didn’t take any photos last time you made them.” Hmmm… am I sensing any ulterior motives here?!

So, since the sous chef thought you would all like these, here is my recipe for Almond Raisin Granola Bars. I’ve played around with these and you can basically add whatever you want to them and they work out. I’m not a big fan of store-bought granola bars because they are usually loaded with sugar and not much fiber/protein. And while I don’t usually eat granola bars at all (I much prefer straight almond or peanut butter!), I must do my nutritional gatekeeper duties and keep the sous chef healthy and happy.

Recipe as follows: preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the following dry ingredients:

4 cups oats (I would usually use large flake/regular oats, but only had quick oats today)

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

3 tablespoons ground flax (we grind ours in a coffee grinder. You must grind it or your body cant absorb the nutrients)

3 tablespoons chia seeds – love these! I’ll write a whole post about them someday

1 1/2 teaspoons each cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup brown sugar

Then, add the wet ingredients and mix well:

1/3 cup canola oil

4 eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup natural smooth peanut butter (no sugar or salt)

Finally, add in your mix-ins! Any nut, dried fruit, or even chocolate will do. I added:

1 cup coarsely chopped almonds (no need to pre-roast since they’ll cook in the oven)

1 cup organic raisins (probably a bit much for my taste but the sous chef loves raisins)

Bake in a 9 by 13 lightly greased pan for for 25 minutes, and you have your very own healthy delicious granola bars! Once cooled, I cut them into individual squares and freeze them. The recipe can also be halved to fit in an 8 by 8 pan.

Bon appetit!!