I went through a phase in high school where I was determined to find the best homemade granola bar recipe. I tried recipe after recipe after recipe and none stood up to the test. So I gave up and returned to store bought variety. About a year ago though my favorite, Cran Lemon Zest Earnest Bars, disappeared from the shelves of my local Whole Foods and sent me on a granola bar quest again. This recipe, adapted from the Smitten Kitchen, is my version of those Earnest Bars. It is very very flexible though, so no need to stick with the lemon and cranberry theme if you don't want to! <br /> <br />The flax seed and wheat germ can be completely omitted if desired. Instead of cranberries, walnuts, and almonds you can use any combination of dried fruit and nuts as long as it equates to 2 to 3 total cups worth. (Other possibilities include, but are certainly not limited to, dried apricots, cherries, or blueberries, pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds, coconut, sesame seeds, or chocolate chips.) The lemon zest and lemon extract can also be omitted. You can substitute vanilla extract is desired or just leave out the “extract” component entirely. Finally, you can use all olive oil (or a different type of oil like sunflower or canola) or all butter for the fat.

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