Gluten-free Dairy-free YUMMY granola bars

We had company tonight, so in addition to the apple crisp, I made granola bars.  I had been wanting to try it out, and since our friends had kiddos, it seemed like a good time.  Everyone seemed to like them, and I love how easy and versitle the recipe is.  I found the recipe at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/playgroup-granola-bars/Detail.aspx.  I will post the recipe below with my modifications.

Ingredients


2 cups rolled oats We use only Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free

3/4 cup packed brown sugar This seemed like a lot, considering there is honey too, so I used 1/2 cup.

1/2 cup wheat germ Instead, I ground up flax seeds in my coffee griner (I keep them in the freezer and grind them fresh).  I ground up the same 1/2 cup worth.

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Just round up to a full teaspoon ;)

1 cup all-purpose flour I ground up half a cup of shredded organic coconut (well, it was half a cup AFTER I ground it up in the coffee griner) and half a cup of oats (again, half a cup AFTER I ground it.  I'm not sure how much it was before I did.

3/4 cup raisins (optional) I was out of raisins so I did dairy-free chocolate chips and vegan marshmallows I cut up in small pieces instead.  It turned out really good!  Some other yummy flavor combinations you could do would be smashing up a a banana and adding raisins or nuts (or both!), shredding up an apple and adding nuts and/or raisins, white chocolate chips (I don't think they make these dairy-free), craisins, and/or macadamia nuts, and the list goes on and on!

3/4 teaspoon salt I rounded up to 1 because I like them a bit salty when you are adding something sweet to them.

1/2 cup honey

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil We used organic, unrefined coconut

2 teaspoons vanilla extract Make sure to get a gluten-free version
Directions

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. (I used 9 x 9)

2.In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ (ground flax), cinnamon, flour (coconut and oat), raisins (or whatever else you think of) and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

3.Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut. It is better to under-cook than over-cook!  I only did about 28 minutes.



ENJOY!