Crunchy Granola Bars

SaskFlax.com ©2014

Great for after school snacks or a quick breakfast on the run.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup (150 mL) lightly packed brown sugar 
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) unsalted butter 
• 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup (300 mL) quick-cooking oats  
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) ground flaxseed  
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) ground almonds  
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) whole flaxseed  

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C).
2.  In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, combine brown sugar and butter.  Stir constantly while butter is melting and comes to a boil.  Boil 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. 
3. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Add oats, ground flaxseed, almonds and whole flaxseed.  Stir well. Press into a 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm pan) that has been sprayed with a nonstick cooking spray.
4. Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown on top and starting to brown around the edges.
5. Remove from oven and cool. When cool cut into 8 - 2 x 4 inch (5 cm x 10 cm) bars using a sharp knife and wrap individually.

Yield: 8 (2 x 4 inch / 5 x 10 cm) bars.

Serving Size: 1 bar. Each serving contains 1 Tbsp (15 mL) of flax.

Cook's Notes:

• Bars can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
• Variation: For a chewier bar reduce brown sugar to 1/3 cup (75 mL), add 1/4 cup (60 mL) liquid honey. Continue as above. It will puff up while baking and will be soft to the touch on top.  Deflates when removed from oven.  Let cool to just warm to the touch before cutting and removing from pan. (It’s harder to remove if left too long in the pan.)