A lesson in turning mistakes into "meant-tos"

So when I set out to write this post I was intending on making granola bars. Something I can quickly grab and eat on the train on my way to work, something I could pack into Nick's lunch... blablabla. I did some research and compared heaps of recipes, melding a few together into what I thought would be the grand master granola bar recipe. Being who I am, I wanted to create a recipe with the most flavour and nutrients, the least amount of fat, and the most delicious. I'm a dreamer, I know.

I decided to omit any butter and oil from my recipe, and instead moisten the mixture with a combination of peanut butter and honey (which meant I didn't need to add any other refined sugar either!) It all sounds like a great idea, but in reality it just didn't work. Sure it tasted delicious, but what came out at the end of the process didn't look at all like the granola bars I had envisioned.

Beautiful right? Dense, chewy, beautiful.

Those aren't my granola bars... these are:

Before cooking. Neatly pressed into the pan... so far so good.

But try and cut them, and the whole thing shatters.

And when I say shatters, I mean literally crumbles and falls apart. But not to worry because guess what? When life gives you crumbly granola bars, you call it granola!

Granola

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 1/2 cups mixed nuts and fruit
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups crushed Nutri-Grain cereal
1/2 cup honey
4 tbsp peanut butter






In a big mixing bowl combine all ingredients except the honey and peanut butter.

In a small saucepan on low heat melt the honey down to a really runny consistency. Add the peanut butter and stir through. Cook until evenly blended and runny.

Pour the hot honey and peanut butter over the granola mix and stir until everything is coated. I used my hands to make sure everything was mixed together really well.

Spread the granola onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

YUM. Delicious morsels just waiting to be baked!

Bake at 150 C for 30-45 minutes or until everything smells nutty and delicious, and the granola is lightly golden brown.

The granola will still be a little soft at this stage, but it will crunch up as it cools to room temperature. Store the granola is an air-tight container for up to two weeks and enjoy a delicious home-made cereal every morning for breakfast :) ... and sometimes for dinner.

 I ate my granola after work with some sliced plums and bananas, delicious. But you can add strawberries, blueberries, or anything else you'd like.

YUM! The toasted sesame seeds are my favourite! They remind me of those sesame crispy sweet rectangle things you get at the grocery store for 50 cents. Dig in :D

OR! make this into a dessert... some Greek yogurt, some fruit compote (or just some warmed up jam) and...