Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars

I saw these granola bars yesterday at Evolving Mommy and went out and made them that very day.  It involved a trip to Sprouts, and when I go in there I always think things like "from now on I'm only buying organic everything and getting my flour out of bulk bins and where the hell are my birkenstocks?"  Then I leave and return to my normal carbon footprinting self.  (I know I'm not making sense, it's probably due to the build up of pesticides in my bloodstream)

Anyway, these granola bars...they're quick and easy, very yummy and crunchy.  They made the house smell wonderful, for a little while anyway.

Here's Catherine's recipe:

1 Tablespoon coconut oil
2/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup flax seeds
1 cup puffed wheat
2 cups oats

Heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish in aluminum foil and then lightly butter or grease the foil.

In a large sauce pan or wok heat coconut oil, honey, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg over medium heat until mixture is thin and watery. Add pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, puffed wheat and oats to the pan. Stir thoroughly to ensure that all the seeds and grains are covered in the honey mixture.

Pour the granola into the baking dish. Using a spatula or wet hands press the mixture into the pan. The mixture should be packed down and pressed evenly.

Bake the granola for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting into bars. To cut into bars remove the whole sheet of granola from the pan using the aluminum foil and then cut the granola into your desired sizes.

 up close and personal

 

A word about the coconut oil: I'm not sure I would have really missed it if I hadn't put it in there, at just a  tablespoon.  If you're like me, that's not something you ordinarily have just sitting around.  But, I did use it when combing my daughter's hair last night and it took care of those gnarly tangles like nobody's business.