Homemade Chocolate Dipped Granola Bars

So when I want to the store the other day I was disappointed to find that my favorite granola bar was out of stock.  Seeing as how this has become a staple for our picked lunches I had to come up with an alternative solution.  You see I am very picky about the granola bars I buy for my family, ones that are loaded with high-fructose corn syrup are just not okay with me.  So I decided that this time I would try my hand and making them myself.

So after reading a few different recipes but couldn't seem to find anything that sounded right to me.  So I decided to try my hand at creating my own.  For my first attempt I decided to surprise my husband with some chocolate dipped ones.

When the granola finished baking I was sorry to say it wasn't what I had at first wanted.  On its own it wasn't quite sweet enough.  But funny how things work out because once they were dipped in the chocolate I discovered that the combination was perfect.  Having the granola not too sweet made these a delicious treat that wasn't too sickly on the stomach.  Definitely a winner for my husband.

Chocolate Dipped Granola Bars

2 cups Oats

3/4 cup Wheat germ

3/4 cup sunflower seeds (or a mix of sunflower and pumpkin seeds)

1 cup of nuts crushed (I used almonds but any nuts would do)

2/3 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of golden syrup (you can substitute honey)

4 Tbsp butter

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

Dipping Chocolate

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate

1 Tbsp shorting

Mix nuts, wheat germ, seeds and oats onto a baking tray and toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that it doesn't burn.

In a sauce pan add remainder ingredients and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until smooth.

Mix toasted oat mixture with your sugar mixture and spread out on to a parchment paper lined baking tray.

Add a second sheet of parchment paper to the top and press hard.  I find that using a rolling pin helps.

Take the top layer of parchment paper off and put tray into a pre-headed 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.  Once you take the granola out it will be very soft so let it cool for 2-3 hours to harden.

Once the granola is cooled and hardened cut into bars with a cookie cutter or knife. 

To prepare the chocolate take a sauce pan and fill with about 2 inches of water.  Then take a mixing bowl that fits on top of the pan but does not touch the water.  Add one cup of semi-chocolate and 1 Tbsp of shorting to your bowl and bring with water to a boil.  You will want to stir constantly being careful that you don't burn yourself on the bowl.  Once the chocolate is about half way melted take it off the heat and stir it until it is melted and smooth.  The chocolate should be warm to the touch but not too hot.  

Then take your bars and place them face down onto the chocolate, then lift them up and allow them to dip off any excess and place back onto a lined cookie sheet.  Do this to all of your bars and then place in the fridge for an hour so the chocolate sets.  

You will want to store them in an air tight container in the fridge so the chocolate doesn't melt.