Almost Granola Bar Cookies Recipes

GRANOLA COOKIES

Steps:

• Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, place the butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until lightened in color and smoothly combined.
• Scrape down the bowl. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and beat to combine. Stop the mixer to scrape down the bowl again as needed.
• Sprinkle the cinnamon and salt over the top.
• Sprinkle on the flour. Mix on low speed, just until the dough comes together and all bits of dry flour disappear.
• By hand or with the mixer on low, gently stir in the granola, chocolate chips, cranberries, and nuts.
• Portion the batter by generous ¼-cup-sized mounds onto the baking sheet, placing each cookie about 2 inches apart. With your fingers, gently flatten each cookie a little bit (they will not spread much during baking).
• Bake the granola cookies for 10 to 13 minutes, until lightly browned and dry to the touch at the edges and still slightly soft and the centers. The cookies will look a little underdone in the middle, but do not over bake or they will be dry. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, then gently transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. (I slide the parchment paper straight onto the rack).

ALMOST GRANOLA BAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Use a paddle attachment if using a stand mixer.
• Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and continue mixing until smooth.
• In another bowl, briefly whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; and then add this to the wet ingredients, mixing briefly just until everything is incorporated. To use one less bowl, alternately you can add the baking soda and salt to the batter first, then mill the flour directly into the batter and fold it in.
• Finally fold in the oats, chocolate chips, nuts, and dried fruit. The oats are needed for a proper batter consistency, but the other additions are optional.
• Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes if possible. Your cookies will simply be a little flatter if you skip the chilling step.
• Preheat your oven to 325F.
• Using a spoon and damp fingertips, shape the batter into balls and place them on a baking sheet with a couple of inches in between.
• Bake for 8-12 minutes. The timing will depend on your cookie size. Look for lightly browned edges and no shiny-wet batter in the center of the cookies.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven, wait a few minutes, and then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
• Store the cookies in a covered container after they have completely cooled.
• You can freeze extra batter by pre-making cookie balls, freezing them on a sheet and then transferring them to a plastic container OR by laying a sheet of plastic wrap on your countertop, spreading the batter in a thick line on in, and rolling it up into a tube. Unwrap and cut 1/2-inch-thick slices when you're ready to bake. In both methods, bake from frozen.

ALMOST A CANDY BAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Let dough stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften. In a large bowl, combine dough and granola bars. Press into an ungreased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake, uncovered, 10-12 minutes or until golden brown., Sprinkle with butterscotch chips and marshmallows. Bake 3-4 minutes longer or until marshmallows begin to brown. Sprinkle with walnuts; arrange pretzels over the top. In a small saucepan, melt the peanut butter chips, corn syrup and butter; spoon over bars. , In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Spread or drizzle over bars. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm before cutting.

GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
• Spread the oats and coconut evenly across a baking sheet.
• Toast oats and coconut in preheated oven until browned, about 10 minutes; transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Mix honey, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until smooth. Pour the honey mixture over the oats and coconut; stir to coat. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in preheated oven until beginning to dry, about 15 minutes for crunchy granola bars, less if you like them chewy. Cool completely before cutting.