I read Sophie Mann-Shafir’s “Granola Bars With the Works” (March 23, page B4) with interest because I love granola bars and I, too, have struggled to find a recipe for bars that don’t fall apart.
I agree that pressing the batter firmly into the pan is key, as is waiting before cutting them (if you can!). But I hadn’t thought of refrigeration or parchment paper. I will try both of those tricks next time I make them. Mine are still a little crumbly but will hold together if they are allowed to harden overnight. They do crumble a little when they are sliced, but all cooks know that crumbs have no calories, and they can be pressed back together to make a nice reward for the baker.
Since you asked, I will share my recipe, which has some similarities to the Indie’s but also some distinctions. Rather than “the works,” my bars feature craisins (making them Cape Cod-ish) and the base is made with nonfat dry milk. A chocolate-peanut butter “frosting” is layered on top (appropriated from old-fashioned Oh Henry! bars). There is no added salt because the milk and peanut butter are quite salty, but if you want the bars even saltier you could of course add some.
You could also skip the frosting and put the chocolate chips in the base to make these peanut-free and more traditional. But I like to think that the peanut butter makes them somehow healthier. They may not be crunchy enough for some, but I find these granola bars — around here we call them ’nollie bars for short — irresistible.
This recipe fills one 8×12 pan, but you can halve it for an 8×8 batch.
’Nollie Bars
½ cup oil
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup maple syrup
4 cups quick oats
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
2 cups craisins
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup peanut butter
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- In a mixing bowl, combine oil and brown sugar, then add vanilla and maple syrup and stir until the mixture has an even consistency — it should form a thick syrup.
- Gradually add the oats and continue stirring until they are well coated. Stir in the dry milk until it, too, is absorbed, and then stir in the craisins until they are more or less uniformly distributed.
- Put the mixture in an 8×12 pan and use your fingers to spread it out evenly. Press it in firmly. Bake for 18 minutes or until edges are brown.
- While bars are cooling, melt the chocolate chips (you can gently melt chocolate in a double boiler, but microwaving is easier!). Stir in the peanut butter to create a smooth topping and spread over the bars after they’ve cooled.
- Allow the bars to harden overnight. Or if you can’t wait, eat the crumbly mess right away.
