Happy National Granola Bar Day! We’ve been making these granola bars for years and we really love them because they’re nice and flavorful. They’re easy too, which is great!

Despite making these many times before, this is the first time we’ve used coconut. This is mainly because we usually don’t love coconut flakes, but I’ve been trying to branch out a little more recently. Following the instructions, I toasted the oatmeal, sliced almonds, and coconut. The coconut might have been a little too toasty so I might not toast it as long next time.

While this was baking I went ahead and prepped everything else. I did not have wheat germ so I used ground flax instead. I added one cup of dried cherries and cranberries (mostly cherries) and then threw in a half cup of pecans since I love those. Once everything was nicely mixed together I pressed it into a pan. I always remember us using an 8×8 pan for these so I had it prepped and ready to go before realizing the recipe called for a 9×13 pan. After pulling the granola out of the oven I gently pressed some chocolate chips in the top to add a little something extra.

Because we used a smaller pan our granola bars were much thicker but I actually like it that way. I think my husband normally uses dark chocolate, more nuts, and no dried fruit. While those are probably my favorite, these were good and I like the dried cherries; plus it wasn’t super sugary which is really nice.

Recipe Used: Smitten Kitchen