chewy vanilla granola bars

I loved those chewy granola bars as a kid.  They tasted so yummy, but really, they didn't help at all if you were hungry.  Eating 20 of them in a sitting would make you sick, but still wouldn't fill you up.  Not that I ever did that.  These granola bars have a similar taste, but they also have protein powder in them, so they can help those hunger pains during snack time.  I made these super simple, but you can always add mini chocolate chips or whatever else you want.  Want to know the best part about these?  They only take 30 minutes to make.  Plus, they're no bake, and a great snack to have kids help make.

The ingredients are easy items that you probably have in your kitchen anyway.  Vanilla protein powder, oats, vanilla extract, honey, butter, flax, and sugar.

In a small saucepan toss in the honey, sugar, and butter.  Stir them on medium heat just until they have liquefied and melted together.  Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Liam insists on helping me cook regularly.  He's a pro at kitchen safety.

Pour all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and gently mix together.  Add in the wet ingredients and mix well.  It should be sticky enough to hold together, but not a wet gooey mess.

See above:  It should be just wet enough to hold together.  Note:  This makes great granola if you pop it into the oven on low on parchment paper to dry out a bit.

Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish with cooking spray.  Dump out the granola into it and firmly press it all down evenly.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes.  If you forget about it, that's fine.  20 minutes is just the minimum time.

Note:  Once you've pressed down the bars if you wanted to add mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, chopped nuts, coconut, etc. Now is the time to add it.  Just press down your topping of choice onto the bars and refrigerate.

Take out the pan and cut into 12 bars.

These granola bars fit perfectly into separate snack sized ziploc bags.

Package the bars and store them in the fridge if you want them to stay firmer and keep together better, or store on the counter if you want them a bit softer.

These do not last long at our house.  Jeff and Liam would eat them all in a single day if I'd let them.

Chewy Vanilla Granola Bars
makes 12

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter (if using unsalted, add a pinch of salt to the wet ingredients)
• 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups oats
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1/2 cup flax
• 1 cup crispy rice cereal
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan on medium heat stir together the butter, honey, and sugar.  Once they have melted together take the pot off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then add the wet ingredients from the pot.  Make sure everything is well mixed, and sticky enough to hold together without being a gooey mess.
3. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray and empty bowl contents into it.  Press mix down firmly.  Add optional topping and press down firmly.
4. Refrigerate pan for 20 minutes.
5. Remove from the fridge and cut into 12 bars (3 x 4).  A single bar will fit perfectly into a snack sized ziploc bag.  Store the granola bars in the fridge if you want them to be firmer and hold together firmly.  Bars are fine stored out of the fridge, they will just be softer and might break apart.

double chocolate coconut zucchini cookies

I love this recipe!  I adapted it from a recipe on Shape magazine's site, so between it that and the zucchini, oats, and whole wheat flour I generally feel okay lying to myself and saying they are healthy cookies.  Well, they are healthy for a cookie, but a cookie is still a rather sugary treat.  So what I'm saying is that I don't feel guilty at all eating two of these in a sitting and as I don't plan on doing that every single day its okay.  I love "logic" that allows me to do things like eat cookies guilt free, or buy a cute pair of shoes...

Mix together the ingredients, minus the zucchini, oats, and coconut flakes.  Then gently mix in the last three ingredients.  Use a packed cookie scoop to transfer the cookie dough onto parchment lined baking sheets.  The cookies must be tightly packed to insure the dough stays together.  These cookies are soft and might fall apart otherwise.

I always make sure to place my cookies (no matter the recipe) at least 2-3 inches apart.  Better safe than sorry.  No one wants cookies that are all stuck together.

Yum.  Fresh out of the oven.  This cookie holds its shape pretty well, but is soft.  LET IT SIT UNDISTURBED UNTIL IT HAS COMPLETELY COOLED.  Otherwise it might very well fall apart.

Doesn't that look delicious?  And if you want to serve them to people who might cringe at the thought of eating a "healthy" cookie, they honestly won't be able to tell.  The faint bits of oats and zucchini barely visible here are hard to see without bright direct light.  Just remember to tell yourself not to feel guilty eating these.

The longest these have lasted in our house is a week, and only because I made a double batch!  Store them in an airtight container in a dry cool place.

print recipe

double chocolate coconut zucchini cookies

by Liesl September-21-2014

let's pretend they are healthy, shall we?

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups zucchini, shredded
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, coconut oil, sugars, cocoa powder, egg whites, and vanilla until smooth. Add in the zucchini, oats, and coconut flakes until barely incorporated.
2. Use a cookie scoop to drop packed scoopfuls of cookie batter onto lined baking sheets. Leave at least 2-3" between cookies. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the cookies look just set. Be careful not to overbake. Leave the cookies cool completely before moving as they are very soft.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 15 mins 
Total time: 30 mins 

Yield: 2 dozen