Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Granola Bars

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen just finished reading an article titled "14 Foods You Should Never Eat". It was a nice affirmation of all the organic food we eat; and the efforts we make to preserve as much food as possible during summer (hi, tomatoes!). But there are still a few bad habits we have- the occasional diet soda, the Happy Meal we buy Sawyer when we're too lazy to cook dinner or the sprouts we get on our subs.

But the main point the article made was to eat as clean as possible- and pay attention to the ingredients in your food! That being said, the Wisconsin Test Kitchen made some really tasty homemade granola bars last weekend! We promise, you'll be able to recognize all the ingredients in these tasty bites.

Apricot Oatmeal Bars

3/4 cup butter, cut up
2 teaspoons soft butter for greasing pan
1 cup firmly packed dried apricots
1.5 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract

Put 3/4 cup butter in a small saucepan and set over medium high heat. Stir until butter is melted- about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of a 9"x9" baking pan with foil. Grease the foil with butter.

Using kitchen scissors, cut the apricots into 1/2" pieces.

In a mixing bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Mix until well combined and no lumps of sugar remain.

 

Add the apricots, melted butter and vanilla to the bowl. Stir until well blended- the dough will be moist and crumbly. Dump the dough into the prepared baking pan and press into the pan with your fingers.

 

Bake until the top is golden brown- about 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Lift the foil and the oatmeal bars from the pan and place on a cutting board. Peel away the foil from the sides and bottom of the granola bars. Using a sharp knife, cut into rectangles and store in an airtight container. Yields 18 bars.

Recipe courtesy of The Kids Cookbook- Williams Sonoma

This is a great recipe to make on the weekend, and use for school lunches throughout the week. The result is a granola bar that tastes more like a delicious fruit cobbler. This is a true kid tested recipe- the test kitchen kids (yes, there were several)- all enjoyed it. Although one kept commenting it would taste better with ice cream. So there's that.

Here's a link to the article we originally referenced; in case you're interested in reading it:
http://healthyliving.msn.com/nutrition/nourish-what-counts/slideshow?cp-documentid=250218929

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew