Oatmeal/ Granola bars

I tried the following recipe out last night, and got the stamp of approval from the hubby this morning.

GRANOLA BARS
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1/2 c. soft butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. corn syrup
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 c. quick oatmeal
1 c. chocolate chips (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat
butter, sugar, and syrup until light and fluffy. Blend in
egg and vanilla. Add and mix oats and chips. Press firmly
into pan. Bake 20 to 23 minutes. Cool a couple hours. Cut.

Cooks Notes: I went ahead and individually wrapped the bars (in hopes that this might lead to a little discretion and them lasting a bit longer). After cutting them with my pizza cutter, I packed them down individually so they would hold a little better. I didn't wait for them to cool completely, but I would definitely like to hear from you if that is easier. Here is the link to the originial recipe at Cooks.com . I only used 1/2 the amount of chocolate chips called for, and it still seemed a little too much for me. These are a fantastic alternative to buying the overly priced ones at the store. I imagine you could always add some coconut and/or raisins into the mix to spice things up every once and a while. Also adding some peanut butter to the top would be tasty.

Wheat Thins

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar (optional)
1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1/3 cup oil
1 cup water

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the whole wheat flour, white flour, salt, sugar and garlic powder.
2. In a smaller bowl, mix/beat oil and water together.
3. Add liquid mixture to dry, mixing well, but as little as possible (otherwise the dough becomes too elastic and difficult to work with).
4. Split dough in half and take one half and roll as thin as possible- not more than 1/8” thick, on unoiled cookie sheet . Mark with knife for size crackers desired, but do not cut through. Prick each cracker a few times with fork. Sprinkle lightly with salt or onion salt if desired. Repeat for second half of dough.
5. Bake at 325 until crisp and light brown, about 30 minutes.

Cook's notes: Sugar and garlic are not in original recipe, but original recipe tastes a bit bland without them. I think these are a wonderful alternative to the commercial wheat thins since they are a more sustaining snack. I flip my cookie sheet over to roll the dough out on, as well as to bake them. I prefer to use a pizza cutter rather than a knife to perforate the dough since the knife tends to make the edges more ragged. Just be sure to not cut all the way through, as it causes the edges to burn

Adapted from: Deseret Recipes cookbook.