This is the best batch of gluten free granola bars I’ve made in months! I have a bad habit of getting out a recipe and looking at it occasionally but just tossing things in the bowl. Then I forget what I did and that’s fine if I didn’t like it but if it came out good I really have no idea how to make it again. So Today I wrote down amounts and ingredients as I tossed things in the bowl.

 

So here it is:

 

 

Right here is most of what you'll need.

 

 

In a bowl, add butter , sugar,

 

 

maple syrup,

 

 

and water.

 

 

cream together. My butter wasn’t melted so I took the bowl over to the stove and warmed it up but not too much like the time I ended up making little bits of candy or something and no granola bars. 

 

 

Now add in regular oats, Puffed rice,

 

 

quick oats,

 

 

a spoon of xanthan gum,

 

 

and gluten free al purpose flour.

 

 

mix together.

 

 

add and mix  in raisins.

 

 

place half the dough in a greased pan

 

 

Using the butter paper press the dough into the pan.

 

 

So it’s a thin layer like this.

 

 

Sprinkle chocolate chips over the dough.

 

 

Add remaining dough as a top layer. I flattened out pieces and set them on

 

 

Kinda like that. Then I wiped dough off my camera.

 

 

Use the butter paper again to press down the dough.

 

 

I don’t  like the edges sticking to the side of the pan.  so I take a spatula and push it away from the edge all the way around. One time the edges stuck to the pan like cement and when I cut the cooked bars and tried to remove them from the pan they broke. So this is my solution.

 

 

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges.
Let cool 10 or so minutes then cut into bars.

 

 

Serve right away or freeze for weeks.

 

 

Best Gluten free Maple Granola Bars

adapted from King Arthur’s chewy Granola bar recipe

 

ingredients

• 1 stick butter, melted or almost melted will be fine
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 cups quick oats or 1c, regular and 1c. quick
• 1 cup puffed rice
• 1.5 cups gluten free flour
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup almonds

In a  bowl, whisk together melted butter, syrup, and water. Add dry ingredients except chocolate chips and almonds

Spread half the dough in a greased 9x13" pan. Using the butter paper to avoid the dough sticking to your hands pat down firmly.
Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the dough. Carefully add remaining dough to cover evenly as possible. and pat down firmly. Add almonds on top and press in.
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges.
Let cool 10 or so minutes then cut into bars.

Granola, once it’s made is a nice quick and easy breakfast. I like that quick and easy part so every once in a while I make a big batch of granola. Today I tried something a little different.

This granola doesn’t have any oil in it. So if you care about care about cutting down oil consumption in the morning you might like this. Plus, I still have sweet potatoes so this was the recipe meant for me.

 

I just used a potato masher 'and decided I didn’t care about the few lumps. It adds character ya know.

 

mix in maple syrup, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and brown sugar.

 

 

Pour in the oats and puffed rice  mix well.

 

Bake about 15 min then stir. My oven has this nasty habit of burning the right back corner so I have to check on my granola 2 or 3 times. Turn the pan say some words…

 

It’ll be a medium golden brown or maybe a dark amber color from the sweet potatoes and cinnamon. And the house will be smelling amazing about now. I let it cool in a turkey roasting pan before I mix in the fruit and put it in jars.

 

Whatever dried fruit catches your fancy, for me it was a big orange day so I pulled out papaya 

 

and another kind of papaya.

 

Toss it together

 

and jar it up.

 

Sweet Potato Granola

Adapted from Baked Bree

Ingredients

• 10 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups puffed rice
• 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup Sweet potato puree
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup papaya and or raisins
  

Instructions
1.    In another bowl, combine the sweet potato, maple syrup, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and brown sugar.
2.    Pour the oats and puffed rice  into the sweet potato mixture.
3.    Stir until all of the oats are coated.
4.    Spread the granola onto a baking sheet.
5.    Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Stir it around. Bake another 20 minutes or until the granola gets crisp. Take the granola out and mix in the dried fruit.

 

Serve with frozen blueberries and minced fresh ginger.

 

I started with TwoPeasAndTheirPod’s recipe and then shamelessly disobeyed it.

It started out by having Sweet potatoes and no pumpkins but that’s ok, sweet potatoes are supposed to be good for you. I forget why but they are. I do know when you add honey, maple syrup, and spices to them they taste like pumpkin pie filling.

 

I pureed 2 cups of sweet potato with 1/2 cup of milk and a combination of 1/2 cup maple syrup and raw honey. I’m making enough for two batches of granola bars here so don’t worry about my quantities.

 

This is probably the one time I actually put the dry ingredients in the bowl first.

 

But then I just can’t bring myself to dirty TWO bowls so the apple sauce, vanilla and sweet potato puree went in just like that.

 

I mixed pretty well and then decided I wanted to add some puffed rice to add a little contrast to the seriously sturdy, almost “too healthy” get-your-daily-fiber-and-then-some oats.

 

So I did.

 

I tossed in what was left in the chocolate chip bag. I’ll call it a cup.

 

Quick turn on the oven and grease the baking pan.

 

Pour into pan

 

press into pan. Bake at 350 for 30 –35 minutes.

 

I will not do this to get it out of the pan. …because the warm chocolate chips on the top got all smeared when I turned them right side up.

 

Cut into bars.

 

Serve or store in freezer.

 

Sweet potato chocolate chip granola bars

• 2 1/4 cups organic old fashioned oats
• 1 cup whole wheat organic pastry flour
• 1 cup puffed rice
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup sweetened sweet potato puree
• ¼ cup applesauce
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips

     Sweet potato puree

1 cup sweet potato

1/4 cup maple syrup and honey

1/4 cup milk

blend until smooth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. grease an 8 by 13 baking pan with butter or oil and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk oats, spices, sugar, and salt together. Then mix in  sweet potato puree, applesauce, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour over oats and stir well, until all of the oats are moist. Stir in chocolate chips.
press oat mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
  Cut into bars.

 

I like smoothies. I especially like smoothies in the summer. Often they are more along the lines of desert and are kind of similar because I keep putting the same ingredients in.

I was inspired to make some different smoothies from Real Simple.

 

 

I started by chopping up some fresh ginger.

 

I put water in

 

 

Next I poured in the oats to let them soak a bit but not the whole 15 min I’m not that patient.

 

 

I used super natural yogurt, I’m sure there’s some meaning to that but I really can’t tell you what.

 

 

 

I cut the strawberries in half so they blend a little quicker.

 

 

Pour in the Maple syrup and blend with ice.

 

Now it’s time to see what it tastes like.

I kind of missed the glass there. Things are closer than they look when I’m taking the picture.

 

 

The oats were a little gritty but not bad. I couldn’t taste the ginger. I’ll have to put more next time.

I had the rest the next day and the oats had softened and were much better.

 

Gingery Berry and Oat Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
• 1/2 cup ice
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger

Directions

1. Place the oats and ½ cup water in a blender.
2. Let soak until the oats have softened, about 15 minutes.
3. Add the berries, yogurt, ice, syrup, and ginger.
4. Blend until smooth and frothy.