Homemade Granola Bars

I must be on a healthy granola kick!! Here's another great recipe I found on the web. Oh so yum!

    

I wanted to make a hearty and healthy snack that was easy to make.  I decided on granola bars because they are healthy and portable.  I read tons of recipes but couldn’t find one that had ingredients that I liked until I stumbled upon Ina Garten‘s recipe.  I substituted and cut out a few ingredients but overall, all the ingredients were natural.  I liked that Ina’s recipe calls for honey instead of molasses.  These granola bars were so addictive!  I ate one for breakfast everyday for a week and had to start giving them away to some friends because I was in danger of eating the entire pan by myself.  They were perfectly chewy.  They didn’t have a distinct flavor like cranberry or apricot but I was ok with that.  On a side note, you really have to let the granola bars sit for 2 – 3 hours after they bake for the granola bars to come together.  If you don’t, they will fall a part.  Now that I found this recipe, there’s really no going back to the store bought granola bars.
Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup toasted ground flax seed
• 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 dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-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.
2. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the ground flax seed. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
3. 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 oat mixture.
4. Add the apricots and cranberries.
5. Stir well.
6. Pour the mixture into a prepared pan. Lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown.
7. Cool for 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares.

Photo by: Taste of Home

Vanilla Chai Tea Recipe

This warm chai is comfort in a cup. It’s extra special with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a sprinkling of ground allspice on top.—Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Ingredients:

• 8 whole peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches)
• 4 whole cloves
• 8 individual tea bags
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 4 cups boiling water
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 tablespoon watkins vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1-1/2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar
• Ground allspice

Directions

• Place the first five ingredients in a large bowl; with the end of a wooden spoon handle, crush spices until aroma is released. Add the tea bags, honey and boiling water. Cover and steep for 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat milk. Strain tea into a heatproof pitcher; stir in milk and vanilla.
• In a small bowl, beat whipping cream and confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form. Serve individual servings of tea with whipped cream; garnish with ground allspice. Yield: 6 serving

To Make Ahead: Whipped cream can be made a couple of hours in advance; cover and refrigerate.

A MUCH EASIER with GREAT TASTE..  WATKINS CHAI TEA:

 

Chai Latte

The exotic taste of chai…the creaminess of latte…
the ease of instant cocoa! Have it all with this delicious beverage that’s perfect for a quiet evening by the fire. This is true effortless entertaining with style.

(7.5 oz) - $6.99

Banana Split Cake

Yummy Dessert

Author: Courtesy of watkinsonline.com

Ingredients

• banana dessert Mix
• vanilla Pudding Mix
• 1 package yellow cake mix
• Strawberries, blueberries or other fruit of choice
• Non-dairy whipped topping or whipped cream flavored with Original Double-Strength vanilla
• Optional toppings: chopped nuts, maraschino cherries, chocolate syrup

Instructions

1. Prepare banana pudding;
2. while still warm, blend with cake mix and bake according to directions on cake mix package.
3. While cake is baking, prepare vanilla pudding.
4. When cake is done, poke holes in warm cake and pour vanilla pudding over cake.
5. Let cool.
6. Add layer of berries or other fruit; top with whipped cream.
7. Decorate with chopped nuts and cherries and drizzle chocolate syrup on top.