Breakfast Bars

I feel like breakfast doesn't get enough attention.  We're all in such a rush in the morning, that we slug down our coffee, and if we're lucky, grab some kind of processed "food" on our way out the door.  In an effort to cleanse my house of processed food (yes, even the beloved granola bar), I decided to look into making my own granola bars.

I found this recipe in the Nigella Express cookbook that Kyle got me a while back.  You can vary some of the ingredients, such as the nuts or seeds, just don't mess with the oats or sweetened condensed milk.

Also, my Dad complained that they were chewy, while a lot of other people (especially Laela) liked that they were chewy.  I think this is a personal preference issue, so if you are a "crunchy" granola bar type of person, the longer they are in the container, the crunchier they get.  If you want them crunchy immediately, store them in the fridge, and crunch away.

Ingredients:

• 1 14-fl-oz can condensed milk
• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, flax)
• 1 cup natural unsalted peanuts (I didn't have a whole cup of peanuts, so I used almonds and pecans as well)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and oil a 9- x 13-inch baking pan or just use a disposable aluminum foil one.

2. Warm the condensed milk in a large pan.

3. Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients together and add the warmed condensed milk, using a rubber spatula to fold and distribute.

4. Spread the mixture into the oiled or foil pan and press down with a spatula or, better still, your hands (wearing those disposable latex CSI gloves to stop you from sticking) to make the surface even.

5. Bake for 1 hour, remove, and after about 15 minutes, cut into four across and four down, to make 16 chunky bars. Let cool completely.

Store in an air tight baggy or container.  Will keep for about 2-3 months (if they aren't gobbled up by then!)