[2] Cherry, chocolate and cashew granola bars from Love And Zest. Here’s the recipe (photo © Love And Zest).

[3] Use Old Fashioned Oats, not quick oats, for granola bar recipes (photo © Quaker Oats).

It’s National Granola Bar Day. Even if you’re happy with the bars you buy, it’s the day to make your own custom recipe (ours is dark chocolate chunks, dried cherries and pistachio nuts, sometimes with a bit of coconut).

There’s a delicious recipe below, but first:
 
 
HISTORY OF THE GRANOLA BAR

Here’s the history of granola breakfast cereal, which was invented in the 19th century by Dr. James Caleb Jackson for his sanitarium patients. It was the first dry breakfast cereal, and the first to be eaten cold.

He actually invented “granula.” In 1881, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, proprietor of another sanitarium, copied his recipe; when Jackson brought a lawsuit, Kellogg changed the name of his product to granola.

Granola bars did not appear until much later, as a better-for-you snack. Most sources credit Stanley Mason (1921-2006) as the innovator. Mason was a tireless inventor. His more than 100 inventions also included the squeezable ketchup bottle, dental floss dispensers and disposable diapers.

He invented the granola bar in the 1970s by pressing loose granola to create a bar. This claim is disputed by Henry Kimball, who has a copy of a letter he allegedly sent in 1975 to an organization called the Idea Marketplace describing his granola bar invention [source].

Granola bars are dense, chewy cereal bars made from granola ingredients—oats, honey and inclusions like dried fruits and nuts. These days, chocolate baking chips, peanut butter and other ingredients not imagined by either Jackson or Mason, are often added.

Beyond the U.S., the granola bar goes by different names. It’s known as a flapjack in the U.K and Ireland, a muesli bar or cereal bar in Australia and New Zealand.

There are no “wrong” additions to a granola bar, although M&Ms and marshmallows seem to defeat the purpose of a nutritious snack. Here’s a basic recipe:
 
 
RECIPE: GRANOLA BARS

Ingredients

 
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*If you don’t like these ingredients, use more oats. For gluten-free bars, use gluten-free rolled oats.

 
More Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 x 9-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper or foil, leaving “handles” on two sides for lifting. Set aside.

2. COMBINE the oats, seeds and nuts and spread onto a rimmed sheet pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven, transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.

3. STIR in the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a saucepan; stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the oat mixture, toss until the mixture is well coated, then add the dried fruit.

[5] Apple pie granola bars from The Baker Chick. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Baker Chick).

5. COOL for 2 hours before slicing into bars. Use a serrated knife. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a week, using parchment or wax paper to keep the bars from sticking. You can also freezer them for up to 6 months.