Granola Bars: Grandma's and a Variation

Apparently this is going to become a food blog.  I'm joking.  But seriously, I have apparently been a firestorm in the kitchen these days!  Oh, and we're getting a freezer for our basement, so this won't likely be the last of the recipe posts ... but I'll try to keep them to a minimum.

Anyhow, this recipe is actually one of my Grandma Mitzi's.  Unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan of some of the ingredients, so I mixed it up a bit.  Okay, a lot.  But some of you might really enjoy the original, so I have decided to include both.

Grandma Mitzi's Granola Bars

1/2 cup butter softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/3 cups unsifted flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup milk

1 2/3 cups granola

1 cup seedless raisins

1 cup coconut

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix all the ingredients in order.  Line a jelly roll pan with foil.  Press mixture into baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cut when cool.

That's it!  Pretty easy, huh?  Yeah, but I don't like raisins or coconut.  Soooo ...

Nicole's Million Dollar Granola Bars

Mix:
1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Add:

1 1/3 cups unsifted flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix until blended - do not over-beat.  (That's what she said.)

Then add and mix in 1/4 cup milk until blended.

Then add:
1 2/3 cups granola
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup walnuts, well-chopped
1 cup chocolate chips

I mixed this last bit by hand until everything was all mixed together.  I didn't have a jelly roll pan, but you can use any combination of pans equaling the same area (15.5" by 10.5").  I used a deep roasting pan, lined it with foil, and then spread the dough in.  Word to the wise ... spray the foil with cooking spray first.  You'll thank me later.  Then cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.  And this is what you'll get:

Just look at all that granola-y goodness!  They are wonderfully delicious and good for you to boot!  Oh, and they freeze really well.  I usually keep most of the batch in the freezer and take four or five out at a time to enjoy.

Hopefully this will be the last of the recipe posts for a while.  I have a ton of pictures of the kids, but I am WAY behind on editing them for red eye issues so ... yeah.  I'll get there.

In the meantime, enjoy!