Crunchy Munchy Honey Cakes

For years I've been trying to be all crunchy and granola and then I roll my eyes at myself at how ridiculous it is to keep up on every new "good for me trend". And then I try again. There are a lot of things we do in this house that are very Little House on The Prairie. For one, I pretty much never turn on lights. I forget or I just don't see the need always. I stub my toes a lot on misplaced toys and furniture, but I still have cat like eyes that mostly help me see in the dark. And so I don't really see the point. You know, it's dark and all. I bake pretty much everything from scratch, have considered owning chickens and milling my own wheat, and my husband keeps us happy in homemade booze. Well, beer. Sure, we could go buy a six pack of hoppy yumminess at one of the 15 local liquor stores, but that doesn't really jive with our need to create complex goodness from simple ingredients. 

While we are on the subject of complex goodness spawned by simplicity, let's talk granola bars.

Odd segue?

OK, sure, you CAN go to grocery store X,Y or Z and pick up one of 36 different kinds of granola bars. That is a fact. Most of them are packed full of stuff you can't pronounce. But, eh, that's not what got me. What got me was the fact that the fine purveyors of granola bars have started selling them 5 to a box. FIVE. People, I have three kids. It doesn't add up. So, I made them. And you know what? They are simple. And good.

Recipe adapted from New York Times.  You can find the original here.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil

7 ounces (2 cups) rolled oats

1 1/2 ounces (1 heaped cup) flaked coconut

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/2 cup mild honey, like clover

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup dark or semi sweet chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the oats in a bowl and toss with the oil until thoroughly coated. Line a baking sheet or pan with parchment and spread the oats in an even layer on the parchment. Place in the oven and toast for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the grains are lightly toasted. They should have darkened slightly and should smell toasty. Remove from the oven, return to the bowl, and add the coconut, spices, salt and nuts. Stir together. Turn the oven down to 300 degrees.


2. Place the honey and vanilla in a saucepan or container that can accommodate at least three times the volume of the honey, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour over the oat mixture. Stir until the oat mixture is evenly coated with honey.


3. Oil a 9-by-13-by-2-inch pan and line with parchment. Oil the parchment. Scrape the granola mixture into the pan and spread in an even layer. Place in the oven for 25 minutes, until just golden. Do not allow to become too brown, or the bars will be too hard. Melt chocolate in microwave on 30 second intervals until smooth. Spread over granola.  Garnish with shredded coconut.  Allow to set at room temperature, then cut into squares. Store in sealed container.