SK week 1 | Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars

Okay, nothing super fancy for week 1. Although this recipe did fit the bill for ingredients I've never bought before with both the millet (I looked for it on Amazon in case I couldn't find it in the store, and the first couple listings were sprays of millet for pet bird cages--alas, Cub did end up having it) and the Sunbutter (I think peanut butter would work just fine, but I wasn't sure I wanted that flavor, so I sprung for the Sunbutter).

(Here's the Smitten Kitchen listing if you want to check it out)

Without further ado, Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars

Cast of Characters:
1 1/4 cup rolled oats (if you're making these for GF people, make sure your oats are GF)

1/4 cup rolled oats, finely ground, or oat flour (I just ground some in the food processor super quick)

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut

1/3 cup uncooked millet (not the birdseed kind....)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional--I skipped it)

1 cup chopped dried fruit (I used craisins)

1 cup chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips (I used a dark chocolate bar in the photo, but I ended up chopping some dark chocolate chips...I'd probably just use mini chocolate chips in the future)

1/4 cup sunflower seed butter

1/4 cup olive oil or coconut oil, warmed until liquified (I used coconut oil)

1/4 cup maple syrup, honey, or golden syrup (I used maple syrup)

Heat oven to 350 and line an 8x8 pan with parchment (you want to make a sling--see photos farther down). 

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Sneak a chocolate chunk. Or a piece of millet if you're feeling birdish. 

Mix it all up.

Combine your three wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add to dry ingredients. 

And stir until it's all evenly coated.

Dump it into your lined pan (see? sling) and use another sheet of parchment to press it down really well. 

Pop it into your preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.

The edges will start to lightly brown. Now these are going to smell so heavenly right out of the oven, but you need to be patient. If you try to cut them now, it will be a big crumbly, chocolatey mess. I let the pan cool for a bit and then popped it in the fridge for about 20 minutes before I attempted cutting them. 

Use the sling to remove it, then cut into bars (16 total worked well).

Final verdict: Overall, a win. I think I like them the most of the four of us who tried them, but no one DISliked them. Leah would have preferred that I skipped the craisins. ;)

I'll definitely make them again, but I may try a tiny bit more liquid, as they are a little crumbly. (Or maybe honey would have been more binding than the syrup). But they've been great for breakfast this week!