Granola Bars

I browsed a bunch of recipes before beginning my latest project -- granola bars. Alton Brown has a nice one, and so does Ina Garten. Making granola bars is kind of like making rice crispy treats. Both involve melting sugar and butter together (brilliant!) - then pouring that mixture over cereal (more brilliant!). My recipe is inspired by Brown and Garten, but I made it my own by adding more sugar and butter. My general motto is more butter, more sugar, more salt, more garlic, more more more.

Readers take note, when following a recipe don't be afraid to add a little bit more of whatever you like. I mean, what's one more clove of garlic, a teaspoon of sugar, another sprinkle of salt or a few extra shakes of red pepper flake (though not in your granola bars)?

Professional chefs know this well. They are already ahead of the game by not shopping at Giant for wilted vegetables and steroid-bloated chicken, but on top of that they are amping the flavor with more butter, more salt, more spice, more pork fat . . . more crack! There, I said it. There have been times that I wonder if the food I'm eating was sprinkled with some highly addictive substance, because I can't stop eating it! (A good example would be the fries at Blue Duck Tavern. Duck fat is a wonderful thing, but perhaps the chef is finishing them off with a shake of sea salt cut with cocaine.)

Moving on . .. .

Here's my recipe for granola bars. No drugs involved.

Turn oven on to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. And butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

In a large bowl combine the following:

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw sunflower seeds (shelled)
1/2 cup flax seeds (available at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, etc.)
1 cup chopped unsalted nuts (use whatever you have. I had pecans and cashews so I used them.)

Once combined, spread mixture out onto lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Stir. Cook for another 8 minutes. When it's done cooking pour into large mixing bowl and add 1 teaspoon of salt. The cereal won't look brown but it should be fragrant.

On low heat, combine 6 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1 cup of honey and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Once it's all melted, poor over the rolled oats mixture. Add 1 cup of dried fruit. I used golden raisins.

Pour into buttered baking dish and press down evenly. It's going to stick to your hands, so use a piece of parchment paper between your hand and the gooey mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Then let it sit for 3 hours to cool. You have to wait this long. It's terrible but it's true. You won't be able to cut them into squares if they are not totally cooled.

Try to cut them in 2" x 2" squares. These are very rich, you don't want them big.