Day 29: Nutella and Granola Bars

I was cleaning up some of my posts in draft and realized that I didn't actually have 31 Nutella posts last month. I can count to 31, really I can. I just got a bit off track with the move and all. That's my story and I am sticking to it. So to make up for lost time, I am adding two new Nutella posts, then you will never hear another word about it, at least until I have my next inspiration.
I have been looking for a good granola bar recipe for a long time. Store bought bars are not my favorite. They are either too hard or too sweet. They just don't appeal to me for some reason. But since I love homemade granola, I still have this vision of a homemade granola bar. And what could be better than a healthy homemade bar slathered in Nutella?

On our recent camping trip we had store bought bars with Nutella on them. Okay, I admidt this is totally cheating. It was a total fail. The bars were harder than a rock, and the imitation Nutella-like substance (notice how I didn't show the front of the Nutella jar?) was terrible. Not worth the effort at all. Let's do that one again:

This granola bar recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa:

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Let cool 2-3 hours before cutting and spreading with Nutella.

Designer Mom