The Rural Voice, 2019-09, Page 49At some point over the summer
I hope we have all had the
opportunity to rest and
recuperate, because with September I
find that everyone is moving at full
speed. Kids going back to school,
gardens at their peak output, and the
early preparations for inevitable
winter. I don’t see as many quiet
September days as I would like.
Even though I don’t have any
students climbing back on a bus, I
still make these handy homemade
granola bars. They are amazingly
simple to make and you can
customize to your favourite flavours,
or to what you have on hand in the
pantry. They keep well in a tin and
are great to grab for a quick snack or
even if you have no time for a proper
breakfast .
Quick and Easy
Homemade Granola Bars
I start by lining a 9X9 baking pan
with parchment, leaving some over
the side to use as handles. I do this so
I can lift them out to cut into bars as
they cool. In a 9X9 they end up about
an inch thick, or you can spread them
in a larger pan for thinner bars.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
fahrenheit.
Ingredients:
½ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons corn syrup or local
honey (you should always use local
honey)
3 cups rolled oats
½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Directions:
Approximately 1 – 1 ½ cups of
mix-ins – Dried cranberries, raisins,
or other dried fruit, pumpkin seeds,
chopped nuts, shredded coconut,
chocolate or flavoured chips. We all
have our favourite flavours and I mix
up my bars by trying new
combinations all the time.
In a medium saucepan (large
enough to mix all the ingredients)
melt the butter, sugar and honey or
syrup over a low heat until sugar
dissolves. Remove from heat and
immediately add the oats, cinnamon
(if using) and mix-ins. Stir until
completely combined and tip into the
prepared baking pan. Press down
firmly so they are level.
Bake for 30 mins or until the top
is golden. Remove and allow to cool.
Once mostly cool but not rock hard I
lift onto a cutting board and slice into
bars. It is best to do this with a big
long knife and then let the bars finish
cooling completely as they do tend to
crumble. But who am I to stop you
from eating any of the little bits that
fall off? Once you make your own
it’s hard to go back to the kind in the
box.
September is also the month for
garden excess. So many vegetables
are available right now, either from
your own garden or at the market.
Everyone has their favourite ways to
use them up and if you have a bunch
of different things filling your fridge
and countertop why not try to use
them in one delicious dish? This is
also a great time to pull out one of
my favourite kitchen tools - the
September 2019 45
Recipes by Nancy Fisher
Muffins for a busy time of year
Simple, homemade granola bars are handy snacks for school lunches or after-
school snacks. Same goes for the blueberry muffins (top) which use a
combination of flours to add sweetness and taste. Remember to freeze
blueberries so you have them all year round.