August Sourdough Surprises - Granola Bars

Okay, so if there's one thing that Sourdough Surprises has taught us, it's that you can use your sourdough starter to make just about anything!

So when the August theme of granola bars was announced, I was pretty excited. Because, while I've tried some crazy things with my starter, I'd never have thought of granola bars.

The best part about any homemade granola bar recipe is how adaptable it is. You can add any mix-ins you want to make it fit any taste preference or food restriction you have going on.

I was inspired by the seemingly very popular recipe on the Wild Yeast blog, but I made tons of adjustments to make sure that both of my kids could enjoy them. I replaced the peanut butter called for in the recipe with Sunbutter and replaced the chopped nuts with sunflower seeds. And, for good measure, I added in some flax meal and chia seeds. Because... why not give these a super-food boost?

And the result?

These are pretty good! They're chewy and full of flavor - you can definitely taste the sunflower seed flavor (between the seeds themselves and the Sunbutter), but the honey gives exactly the right amount of sweetness. Definitely a fun treat that you can eat guilt-free.

So how did your sourdough granola bars turn out? Link up and let us know!

An InLinkz Link-up

Chewy Sourdough Granola Bars
(based on Wild Yeast)

100 grams dried cranberries
100 grams sunflower seeds
110 grams rolled oats
pinch of salt
Sprinkle of golden flax meal (I didn't measure, but it was probably about 2-3 tablespoons)
Sprinkle of chia seeds (Again, I didn't measure, but it was probably about 2 tablespoons)
100 grams smooth Sunbutter
100 grams honey
200 grams 100%-hydration sourdough starter (can be discard, can be fridge-cold)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. You can also use parchment (sprayed), I just didn't have any.
In a medium bowl, combine the cranberries, sunflower seeds, oats, salt, flax and chia seeds.
In a small bowl, stir together the Sunbutter and honey.
Add the Sunbutter mixture and the starter to the oat mixture. Mix with your hands until everything is evenly incorporated. Trust me - your hands is the best way to go.
Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Mine didn't spread all the way, so I spread it as far as it went and used foil to create a barrier to allow it to hold its shape as it baked.
Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes, until nicely brown. Mine needed about five extra minutes.
Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!