These chocolaty
granola bars are much better than store bought and you will agree they are worth
the effort. Add your favourite dried fruit, but don’t omit or substitute the
chocolates. Most honey sold in the stores is not real honey, only honey-flavoured
corn syrup. I have a honey man who delivers twice a year. And boy… what a difference!
Did you know that bees make different flavoured honey depending on the pollen
they go to? Serious beekeepers travel with their hives to take advantage of flowering
trees…There is nothing better than acacia honey! The expectation is no dried fruit
or honey shall ever touch her lips. Well I put in no fruit, but there it is… the
honey. Except you can’t taste it from the chocolate. Our honey hater didn’t. The
aim was not to make the bars overly sweet, hence the intense dark Lindt bar
with the 85% cacao. This should make her eat her “parritch”!
CHOCOLATY GRANOLA BARS
1/2 cup pure dark chocolate, chopped
100g dark Lindt bar with the 85% cacao,
diced
1/2 cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
cooking spray
2-1/2 cups small rolled oats
1/4 cup liquid honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Chop the dark chocolate and set aside.
- Chop the Lindt bar and set aside. Do not mix the two chocolates.
- If the almonds are not roasted, they may be swirled about in a non-stick fry pan for a few minutes. Make sure not to burn them. Set aside.
- Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Spray the parchment with cooking spray or lightly baste it with oil.
- Scatter the oats on top and toast in the preheated oven for 8 minutes.
- Take the tray out and turn the oats over and put them back for 8 more minutes.
- Meanwhile line a 9X13 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Transfer the oats and the almonds to a large mixing bowl.
- Combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla extract and salt in a small saucepan.
- Place on medium heat and cook, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the mixture to the bowl with the oatmeal and stir with your hands to combine.
- Immediately add the chopped dark chocolate and stir it into the mixture. The chocolate will melt and coat the mixture.
- Finally stir in the chopped Lindt bar.
- Transfer the mixture to the lined baking pan and press it evenly into the pan.
- Chill for an hour or two before slicing.
- Lift the bar out with the parchment and place it on a cutting board and slice into bars.
