Make it Yourself Monday: Granola Bars

Welcome new readers and old friends! My goal on Make it Yourself Mondays is to encourage you to branch out and try to make from scratch some of the things you usually buy from the store. This often saves money, and it's always fun! Please link up the things you've been "making yourself" recently at the bottom of this post. :)

I try to make as many of the snacks my husband takes to work as possible. He always has either leftovers or a sandwich, fruit, and some kind of goodie. Sometimes it's crackers and hummus, or a small bag of almonds, but I usually try to pack him something special (aka sweet). This is an awesome alternative to buying expensive granola bars from the store that have who-knows-what in them! Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa's recipe at the Food Network.

Homemade Granola Bars

Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup sliced/chopped almonds

1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed

1/2 cup ground flax seed

3 tablespoons salted butter

2/3 cup honey

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Butter an 8x12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Place the butter, honey, and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the oatmeal mixture. Add the cranberries and raisins and stir well. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting. Makes 12-16 bars.

Notes: you can add some brown sugar or sucanat if you think you'll want it sweeter - I thought it was perfect without it. Also, I don't like the way raisins taste after they've been baked, so next time I'll probably use the apricots or dates the original recipe calls for. And more coconut! Always more! :)