Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Successfully Cutting Homemade Granola Bars?


Today on Kitchen Tip Tuesday, it is a backwards edition where you ask a question. So here is my question - I love to make homemade granola bars, but I have not yet been successful in cutting them. I use the recipe from Alton Brown (Good Eats) because I like them crunchy, but if I wait until they are cool to cut them, they break all apart and the bottoms stick a little (even though I butter the pan). Any ideas or advice? Please? I would like to have BARS, not CRUMBS!!

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7 comments:

Laura said...

I am SO excited to find this recipe for granola bars!! All of the recipes I've seen have marshmellows or corn syrup in them...two things I DON'T use to cook with. WooHoo! Of course, I can't offer any help on cutting them...but after I make them...if I figure anything out...I'll let you know!!

Sonshine said...

I haven't made homemade granola bars in a while so I can't remember what I did!! LOL Have you tried cutting them before you cook them??

Anonymous said...

Could you "score" by running a pizza cutter through the granola before you cook them or towards the end of cooking, just an idea.

Anonymous said...

Try scoring bfore you bake then after, before completely cooled cut with a oil sprayed knife. (lightly spray with a natural, or homemade baking spray) That should keep from sticking. Oh, you may have to spray a couple of times and if it seems to thick just wipe off a bit. Hope this helps!
SuzeQ

Mom2fur said...

I've never made granola bars, but I learned a trick long ago for cutting brownies that might help. While they are still warm 'score' the bars lightly across the top with a knife to mark off each piece. I don't know why it makes things easier to cut when they cool down, but it does. Since granola bars are crunchy, my idea would be to either use a bench scraper (it's a flat piece of metal curled up on one end, used to scrape up dough--but since you watch Good Eats, I'm sure you knew that already, LOL!) or a spatula with a flat end, and instead of 'sawing,' I'd push the scraper straight down into the pan.
I hope this helps you!

dolphin lady said...

Thanks so much for all your ideas! I will be trying them out the very next time I make granola.

Anonymous said...

Like others said, you can try cutting them both before and after baking... sometimes a pizza cutter works well! :) When I make crunchy granola bars, I set the timer and cut them 10 minutes after removing from the oven. Any shorter, and they crumble. Any longer, and they're too hard to cut! :)