Homemade Granola Bars

Ok, so I made this recipe with the intent to make a healthier, homemade granola bar, but in fact they turned out to be slightly healthier date squares. Delicious, none the less. I cut them into extremely tiny portions, and hey, everything in moderation! They would also be a great pre or post workout snack.

It started with an Oatmeal, fig and walnut recipe from Epicurious.com. The store didn't have figs, so I substituted with dates (thus, the "date square" taste).

Ingredients:

Filling:

2 cups chopped stemmed dried figs (10 to 11 ounces)

1 cup water

6 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped

Crust:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (I substituted 1 cup white flour and 3/4 c whole wheat flour)

1 1/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar (I used a bit less than this - they were still very sweet!)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled vegan "butter" (such as Earth Balance) or margarine, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used regular butter)

1 cup powdered sugar (I left this out)

For filling:

Combine first 4 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.

Uncover and simmer until figs are very soft and filling is thick, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Mix in lemon juice and vanilla, then walnuts. Cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

For crust:

Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Spray 13x9x2- inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Combine oats and next 5 ingredients in large bowl and whisk to blend.

Add cubed "butter." Using fingertips, blend until mixture forms small moist clumps.

Firmly press half of crust mixture (about 3 cups) over bottom of prepared pan.

Spread filling evenly over crust. Sprinkle remaining crust mixture over filling; press to adhere.

Bake bars until deep brown and firm to touch, about 35 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Cut crosswise into 6 strips. Make 8 lengthwise cuts, forming 2x1-inch bars. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover pan with foil; store at room temperature.

Place powdered sugar in medium bowl. Using narrow spatula, remove as many bars as desired from pan. Roll half of bars in powdered sugar to coat. Arrange coated bars and plain bars alternately on platter. (Again, I left this out)

This recipe was an absolute hit with my fiance, and I agree, they were tasty. What I like about this recipe is you can fool around with the ingredients. I would definitely cut down on the sugar next time... I think you could use about half the amount and not miss it. I am also going to experiment with mixing up the dried fruits and nuts... almonds, figs, cranberries, raisins, maybe even some blueberries.

If anyone has any great ideas for how to cut out some of the butter and still make the crust stick, I'd love to hear it!

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