Bake It -- Don't Buy It: Homemade Snacks

I found this recipe on frugally blonde, the words and photos in between quotes are from her blog.  Click on the link to go see what else she writes about.  These are the same granola bars I always buy with the exception of the peanut butter.  While the cost savings isn't huge, there is something about making it myself that I find appealing.


'"I developed this recipe for granola bars myself, using one I found in Taste of Home a while ago as a guide. It is probably not the healthiest granola bar recipe out there, but I was trying as much as possible to replicate the Quaker chewy granola bars that we usually buy, in order to get a good price comparison.

I mixed about 6 cups of old fashioned oats with chocolate chips.


Then I heated 2/3 cup corn syrup with 1/4 cup brown sugar. I boiled it for about a minute, then stirred in about 1/4 cup of peanut butter. Then I poured it over the oat mixture and thoroughly stirred.

Then I patted into a greased 9 inch square pan and let it harden for several hours.


Then I simply lifted the whole piece out of the pan with a fork and cut it into bars on a cutting board. I was trying to replicate the size and shape of the Quaker bars, but as you can see I forgot how small they are!


Final Analysis: This is another easy recipe, and infinite variations could be created. I plan to try it with fruit, nuts, and seeds as well. However, the money saved is not huge if you usually get your granola bars on rock-bottom deals. Nevertheless, this might be worth making for the taste
and health factors alone.


Approximate costs:


Store bought - $2.50 for 10 small bars ($.25/bar); occasionally as low as $1.50 for 10 (with sale and coupon) ($.15/bar)


Homemade - $1.52 for 12 much bigger bars ($.13/bar)"