PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA BARS

¾ to 1 cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup peanut butter
½ cup corn syrup or alternative sweetener like Agave or honey
½ cup melted butter
2 tsp. vanilla
3 ½ cups old fashioned oats
1/3 to ½ cup flax seeds
1 cup walnuts or some other nuts
½ cup raisins or craisins
1 cup chocolate chips if desired—we didn’t desire

Mix first five ingredients together. Add remaining ingredients, mix well and press firmly into a 9x13 inch pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until barely brown around the edges. Cut when granola bars are still warm. Let cool before re-cutting and removing from the pan. Store in airtight container. Try not to eat them all the first two days.

BREAKFAST BARS—Lynne Snyder

I really would like to give credit to whoever posted this recipe on the Internet--although I have changed it--but I can't find it. Originally they were called "Duane's Breakfast Bars." Or maybe it was Dwaine's or maybe Dwayne's. Who knows? If you know please let me know.

These bars are very satisfying without being too sweet. They keep your energy level pretty constant. I swear--not really, I try not to swear--that every day I eat these I loose weight that day.

I took some of these to the BYU Writer's and Illustrating for Young Readers symposium one year and people wanted the recipe. The next year snacks were provided and I didn't take any but should have. The snacks were mostly candy and I'm still recovering.

1 cup corn syrup or honey (I used corn syrup--I am now using honey because we finally dealt with a 5 pound container that has been in the basement for about 30 years)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened *
1/3 cup oil* , if you use olive oil they will taste faintly like olive oil at the very first but then the olive oil taste goes away.
2 Tbs. nutritional yeast (optional) I usually forget to put this in

1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds (optional)

1 tsp vanilla

Mix by hand and then add:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda

Mix again and add:

1 cup walnuts
1 cup dried cranberries. (or other nuts and dried fruit.)

Add:
4 ½ cups oats.

Lightly press into greased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 325° 22-28 minutes (25 minutes in my oven), until light brown on top. Cool 10 minutes, Cut into squares, let completely cool before removing from pan.

* Can use 2/3 cup butter instead of part butter and part oil. I forget to wait ten minutes before cutting. I cut right out of the oven and then let them cool and then cut again. Store them in an airtight container. If they dry out before you get them all eaten put a short glass of warm water in the container for an hour.

Notes: Today--March 4, 2004--I added a cup, minus 2 Tbs. chia seeds, blended in a coffee grinder. I also added 1/4 cup flax seeds, I should have blended them to break their shell but I don't necessarily like the taste of flax seed flour. I know some of them will go through undigested but any that get broken while eating will be fine.

CARMEL CORN—Pat Bradfield--a friend of Lynne's

This is so good. I got the recipe from my best friend years ago.

6 quarts of popcorn minus the ones that don't pop
One or two cups of any kind of nuts you might like. I use cashews.

Boil for 5 minutes and pour over top:
2 cups brown sugar (original recipe--but I think I prefer it with white sugar, it has a more delicate flavor)
2 sticks butter
½ cup dark Karo Syrup (I use light corn syrup)

Add:
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda.

Pour over the popcorn and nuts. Bake at 200° for one hour. Stir at least four times during baking.