Challenge #1 - Chewy Granola Bars. Take 1 - Results

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats

1/3 cup butter (I used salted butter)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

dash of salt

Directions:

(1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

(2) Cut the 1/3 cup of butter, that is still in stick form in half. Place the one half in a 9x13" pan and melt.

(3) Once butter is melted spread the oats on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring every 5minutes. Bake until pale gold.

(4) Remove the oats from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Transfer the baked oats to a large bowl.

(5) In a small saucepan combine the remaining butter, honey, brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Stir frequently, until the mixture just reaches a boil.

(6) Pour sugar mixture into the bowl with the oats and mix well. Add anything extra you want (chocolate chips, etc.)

(7) Line a 8x8" baking pan with parchment paper. Spread the oat mixture into the pan, then pack tightly into an even layer using a wet spatula.

(8) Bake until golden brown - about 30 minutes.

(9) Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then cut into 2x3" bars. Let cool completely before removing from pan.

Thoughts:

(1) These are all the ingredients from the original recipe. However, I added alittle more salt to compliment the sweetness and also added cinnamon as a personal preference.

(2) I increased the butter for two reasons the first to help toast the oats with and the second to help make a good syrup.

(3) Did toasting the oats help produce a crunchy yet chewy granola bar?

(4) Did making a syrup help increase the chewiness of this recipe?

(5) More honey? More brown sugar? What's the right ratio?

Results:

(1) Not that chewy. If you like the crunchiness of the Nature Valley granola bars than this would be the one for you.

(2) The bars held their shape and are not too crumbly. I mean it's a granola bar - there are going to be crumbs.

(3) The flavor was good. Roasting the oats before hand is a keeper.

(4) How do I increase the chewiness? Dare I say corn syrup?!

(5) Bake to the drawing board.

Challenge #1 - Chewy Granola Bars. Take 1

Game on folks. I couldn't stand doing the research any longer, I had to get in the kitchen and test what works and what doesn't.
Most granola recipes all have the same ingredients: rolled oats, honey, butter, vanilla, and cinnamon. And then whatever little additional things you want to add to it. I'm starting with the basic ingredients and no flour or baking soda. I'm also experimenting with a different baking method...I'll let you know how it turns out.

Challenge #1 - Chewy Granola Bars....More Thoughts

So back to my Chewy Granola Bar Challenge.....I'm still thinking, still looking at countless websites, comparing recipes, comparing notes....and this is what I've concluded so far.

(1) I have no idea why they would add the baking soda. Really. The butter isn't that acidic as to need it. Plus I think it would dry it out.

(2) The only thing I can think of as to why they also added the flour was to help the honey/sugar mixture stick to the oats. But at the same time I think it would aid it in drying out.

(3) Steel Cut oats are out for granola bars. Maybe for just plain granola because you can put that on something moist like yogurt or cereal. Steel cut oats take longer to cook. Rolled oats are the way to go - The Old Fashioned Rolled Oats NOT quick cooking oats.

(4) One website gave a great description about making better granola bars and they summed it up as follows:
* Toast the oats before blending them. This extra step maximizes the nutty flavor of the oats.
* Blend honey and light brown sugar to sweeten the bars and "glue" them together.
* Press the oat mixture into the pan firmly. Otherwise the bars will crumble and fall apart easily.
* Bake the bars at a low temperature (300 degrees) so that the honey mixture thoroughly dries out without the oats burning. If the honey doesn't dry out the oats will be crumbly.

(5) I was asked if baking soda contributes to the overall flavor - I have no idea. But what I've read today baking soda is used to neutralize the acid and act as a leavening agent. I think if you were making something like banana bread (one ingredient is buttermilk) you would need it because buttermilk has a higher acidic range than say butter and you would probably taste a difference. I think in this recipe the baking soda would not contribute to the overall flavor.

(6) I was also asked what causes butter to become rancid? Butter is made from animal products - aka heavy cream. It only has a shelf life (in the fridge for 3-5 months) after that it will start to break down. I just googled that because I had no idea myself. I cook A LOT with butter so it never stays in my fridge more than a week. Buttermilk was usually the liquid left behind after churning butter. But today we see Cultured Buttermilk on our store shelves - in which lactic acid bacteria is added to milk.

(7) Then I had a question about honey crystallization. I had no idea why it does that. I've had it happen before so I had to do alittle google search. You can read here to find out why.

Challenge # 1 - Thoughts & Concerns

So my amazing sister-in-love challenged me to pick apart a recipe and come up with something new and improved. It's a pretty big challenge but I'm up for it. In fact, I haven't even showered yet for the day because I've been so involved with it......

Here's the recipe up for the Challenge "Chewy Granola Bars". The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cups miniature chocolate chips

Directions:
(1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13" pan.
(2) In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter, honey and brown sugar.
(3) Stir in chocolate chips, etc.
(4) Lightly press mixture into pan. Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
(5) Let cool for 10 minutes then cut bars. Cool completely before serving.

Concerns:
(1) Why are they using baking soda? Baking soda is an alkaline substance used in batters that have acidic ingredients such as buttermilk, molasses and sour cream. So I thought...is honey an acidic food or an alkaline food? So I did alittle Google search and what do you know.....it carries a negative renal acid load which makes it alkaline. Then what about the butter? Butter carries a very low, but positive renal acid load which makes it a bit acidic....but would that be enough to justify baking soda?
(2) Again on the baking soda.....it's a leavener that will cause baked goods to rise and have a light texture. If you want a chewy granola bar do you also want it to be light and airy?
(3) They mention rolled oats. What are they talking about here? Are we talking Quick cooking oats or Old Fashioned rolled oats? I do know that the thicker the oat, the more chewy texture it brings. So what's best? What about Steele Cut Oats?
(4) Then we have just a large mixing bowl where all the ingredients are just incorporated and pressed in a pan.....what if you were to put all those in a saucepan and heat until just a boil - like you're making a syrup? Syrup is sticky...wouldn't that help make it chewy too?

Just some thoughts....I'll keep thinking about it.....