School started this week for many kids in San Francisco, including my son who started kindergarten.  In preparation for the big day, I made a batch of granola bars to stuff into his backpack for a quick snack, or take to the park for soccer practice.  Sure, it's more convenient to buy store-bought granola bars, but I like making my own when possible.  Many popular brands are full of high-fructose corn syrup, and by making granola bars yourself, you can choose healthy sweeteners and serve a snack you can truly feel good about.

If you've tried making our Homemade Granola, you'll notice this is quite similar.  The main difference is that instead of baking the honey mixture into the oats, we're now using the honey mixture as the "glue" to hold the bars together.  I've experimented with granola bars that are baked in the oven, but they invariably toast unevenly, browning too much on the edges and staying uncooked in the middle.  This method works much better for me.

You can use any combination of your favorite dried fruits.  I recommend making dates one of them, because the Medjool dates that Trader Joe's carries are lusciously sticky inside, which means they do a superb job of holding the oats together.  These are a great portable snack for school, the office, or anywhere you want to enjoy a quick snack on the run.

Homemade Granola Bars

2 1/2 cups oats
1/4 cup flax seeds or wheat germ (optional)
3/4 cup sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
1 cup nuts, such as peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, macademia nuts, etc.
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup almond butter, peanut butter, or other nut butter
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 cup dried fruit, cut into small pieces - any combination such as dates, apricots, cherries, cranberries, mangos, raisins, etc.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix oats, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, and nuts on a large cookie sheet or baking dish.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to toast evenly.  Keep an eye on these so you don't burn them.
3. While oats are toasting, heat honey, almond butter, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan just until it starts simmering.  Don't overboil or the honey will harden when it cools, resulting in brick-hard bars.
4. Place toasted oats in a large mixing bowl.  Add honey mixture and stir until oats are evenly coated.  Add dried fruit (cut all fruit, including smaller fruit like raisins and cranberries — this will expose more "sticky" sides to hold oats together) and mix well.
5. Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with waxed paper or parchment paper.  Pour in granola mixture and spread evenly.  Place another piece of waxed paper on top, and really press hard to flatten the granola out.  Place a telephone book, cast iron skillet, or other heavy object on top and let cool completely, at least a couple of hours and up to overnight.
6. Cut granola bars into desired size pieces.  I got 24 bars from this batch.  Individually wrap each piece if desired, or store batch in airtight container.  Bars can also be frozen.

Makes 24 granola bars.