The Great Gluten Free CampOut: Granola Bars - Better Batter Gluten Free Flour

The Great Gluten Free CampOut: Granola Bars

I’m  so excited to be a part of The Great Gluten Free CampOut! Every Tuesday I’ll be partnering with several other bloggers to bring you a full range of recipes: Breakfasts, Desserts, Sides and […]

skillet logo tablecloth I’m  so excited to be a part of The Great Gluten Free CampOut! Every Tuesday I’ll be partnering with several other bloggers to bring you a full range of recipes: Breakfasts, Desserts, Sides and Snacks, and Campfire Classics. Each blogger will be hosting a category. This week  Better Batter is hosting Snacks and Sides, and boy are we excited to bring you some simply AWESOME granola bars… Naomi

This  week I was challenged to create a snack that could be packed along for a hike,  and while it’s super easy just to pack one of our high protein, allergen free Energy bars, I really wanted to recreate the tastes and textures of my childhood…  Gooey Quaker Chewy Granola bars and Nature Valley Crunchy Oat bars – both of which are simply LOADED with gluten. These two snacks formed essential picnic/hiking food during my childhood, and – knowing that people fall passionately into either the ‘chewy’ camp or the ‘crunchy’ camp – I decided to recreate both. You will LOVE the results of my experimentation.

If you’d like a printable version of the recipes, with photos, you can follow the links (click the recipe title!)

This Fantastic, Crunchy granola bar tastes and feels so much like the real deal, you might get a little giddy.

Poe Valley Granola Bars (Nature Valley Clone)

nature valley bar clone 2


3 c Gluten Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
3 c Gluten Free Rice Cereal (I used Kellog’s Gluten Free)
6 Tbsp Better Batter Gluten Free Flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c honey, maple syrup, or corn syrup (I used honey)
1 tsp molasses
1/4 c oil (you can use any kind, I prefer a plain oil)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp brown sugar

You will need to heat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease an 11×15 jelly roll pan, and line with parchment paper or release foil so that a ‘lip’ of 2 or more inches hangs off of each side. Grease the parchment or release foil. Grease a second sheet of foil or parchment for pressing purposes and have a second pan (such as a 9×13 pan) ready for pressing purposes.

In a mixing bowl, blend together the gluten free oats, gluten free rice cereal, Better Batter flour, salt and baking soda, until evenly combined.

In a small saucepan or microwave proof measuring cup, blend together the honey/maple syrup/corn syrup, molasses, and oil.  If on the stove, heat until boiling and boil hard for one minute. If in the microwave heat on high for 1.5 minutes.

Stir your vanilla and brown sugar into the hot oil/syrup, and blend until well combined. Immediately pour over the oat mixture. Mixture will be very wet and sticky at first and will thicken as you mix.

Immediately turn out into the greased/lined pan. Taking the prepared second sheet of foil and the pan, apply pressure evenly across the pan, until you ‘crush’ all of the granola mixture into the pan to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Do not be gentle about this!!

Remove the second sheet of foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes, watching carefully. As soon as ten minutes is up, gently remove the entire sheet from the pan, using the foil to carefully lift/ease the granola sheet off the pan. IMMEDIATELY score into bars using a large, flat sided spatula – try not to cut through the foil! You must work quickly as this goes from too hot to cut – to just right – to too crisp to cut within about 2 minutes. Immediately slide the sheet of bars onto a rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container or wrapping individually.

Super Chewy Granola Bars (Quaker Chewy Clone)

quaker smores chewy clone

1/4 c oil (you may use any type you like, I prefer a neutral oil)
1/4 c packed light brown sugar
1/4 c honey, maple syrup, or corn syrup (I used honey)
2 c Gluten Free Old Fashioned Rolled oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1 c Gluten Free Rice Cereal (I use Kellog’s Gluten Free rice krispies)
3 tbsp Better Batter Gluten Free Flour

Add Ins:

To each recipe above (which makes one 9×13 pan) you will add:
For Smores: 1/4 c each semi sweet mini chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life) and either mini marshmallows or miniature freeze dried marshmallows (available in bulk online and at some bulk food stores)

For Peanut Butter/Chocolate Chip: 2 Tbsp peanut butter or alternative (I used Wowbutter), 1/2 c miniature chocolate chips, divided (I used enjoy life), 1/4 c peanut butter chips (I omitted for peanut free version)

For Cinnamon Raisin: 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 c raisins

TO prepare: grease an 9×13 cake pan, and line with parchment paper or release foil so that a ‘lip’ of 2 or more inches hangs off of each side. Grease the parchment or release foil. Grease a second sheet of foil or parchment for pressing purposes and have a second pan (such as a 9×13 pan) ready for pressing purposes.

In a large, microwave proof bowl, mix together oil, brown sugar, and honey/syrup, mixing well to combine.  Microwave for 2 minutes, or until boiling hard. If making in a saucepan, bring to a boil and boil hard for 2 minutes.

While oil/sugar is cooking, mix together oats, crisp rice cereal, and Better Batter flour until well combined.

Remove the oil mixture from heat/microwave and pour into oat mixture, stir quickly to combine – mixture should stick together immediately. VERY gently add Add-Ins, if desired, to mixture, reserving apart half of Add-Ins where noted to divide (such as chocolate chips).

Immediately turn out into the greased/lined pan. Taking the prepared second sheet of foil and the pan, apply pressure evenly across the pan, until you ‘flatten’ ‘ all of the granola mixture into the pan to a depth of about 1/2  inch.

Allow to cool for about 20 minutes before lightly sprinkling with remaining ‘add ins’. Cut into bars and remove from pan. Allow to cool completely before wrapping or storing in an air tight container.

Want more great recipes? Check out my other blogger friends, who are hosting the rest of today’s ‘meals’ :

Breakfast: Box Oven Blueberry Muffins and Eggs, by Angela’s Kitchen

Dessert: Campside Peach Pie with Cinnamon Whipped Cream, Two Ways, by The Accidental Okie

Open Fire: Lemon Pepper Packet Fish and Veggies, by Gluten Free and Loving It

Want to Participate in our CampOut?

Post your recipe in your blog and link to it in the comments below. Feel free to use  our awesome icon  (above) to tag your blog as part of this awesome event. We’ll do a roundup of all the great recipes at the end of the CampOut, so join in any time!!

 

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