Flapjack - Granola Bars

Granola bars... such a healthy snack which provides a good boost of energy to make it through the morning. Granola bars are so addictively delicious that it doesn't feel right to eat just one. Still the price of these healthy snacks are outrageously expensive, don't you think? For quite a long time, my brother and I were searching for the perfect granola recipe. The granola that one wants to mix with a spoonful of rich and creamy Greek yoghurt for breakfast.

During my travel in the UK, I came across this little treat called flapjack which is simply an oat bar. Interestingly, these bars require only three pantry ingredients to bind the oats: butter, muscovado sugar and dark corn syrup. 

Using the concepts of flapjack as source of inspiration, I made my own Canadian twist to these flapjacks. I added some nutritious ingredients like pecans, wheat germs, cinnamon, and flax seed for its health and nutritional benefits.These granola bars are so easy to make that I made it eight times now, tweaking the recipe until perfect. 

Do you have a favourite granola recipe? Feel free to post your recipe link in the comment section.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 5 mins
Baking Time: 20-25 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

2 1/2 cups large or quick rolled oats

1/3 cup cranberries/raisins

100g pecans, roughly chopped

1 tbsp flax seed

1 tbsp wheat germ

Syrup

1/3 cup margarine (or butter)

2/3 cup brown sugar (or muscovado sugar)

4 tbsps maple syrup (or dark corn syrup)

2 cinnamon sticks

Procedure

1. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.

2. Turn stove top to medium heat. In a small saucepan, melt margarine and incorporate the brown sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon stickes. Stir mixture until sugar has melted. Cook syrup for 5 mins. DO NOT BOIL THE SYRUP.

3. Remove cinnamon sticks. With a spatula, incorporate syrup to the dry ingredients.

4. Preheat oven to 350F.

5. Lightly oil bottom of a 8-inch square baking pan. Line a parchment paper. 

6. Transfer granola mixture to the prepared pan. Bake for 20 mins.

7. Take pan out from the oven...

  7.1 For granolas, let it cool for 20 mins, spoon some of the warm granolas, serve over Greek yoghurt.

  7.2 For granola bars, cut into rectangles after 20 mins of cooling, let it cool completely about 1 1/2 hours.