The Number Field

We've had a couple of requests for the granola bar recipe that I've posted about before. It comes from one of our favorite websites , and is very popular there, with lots of reviews and comments.

Playgroup Granola Bars Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Jenny has tried several variations on this recipe in search of perfection. She took some suggestions from the comments on the allrecipes page, and had some ideas of her own. For instance, sometimes she makes the recipe with less flour, less brown sugar, or two eggs instead of one. She's never included the raisins, but she has sometimes added extra oatmeal, rice krispies, either ground or whole flaxseed, or mini marshmallows. Regardless of the variations, they're always good and we both enjoy them.