Granola Girl

After last week's cake, I decided maybe I should try my hand at something a little healthier so yesterday I made granola bars. The recipe comes from the Barefoot Contessa's latest book. They were a little hard for me to cut into bars without falling apart (maybe I should have let them set longer) but they are very good!

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8x12 inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers (or spoon!) 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 into squares. Serve at room temperature.