Our New Morning Routine: Homestyle Granola Bars

We can’t get enough of the new granola bars we’re serving at the Fishtown café. Our now favorite morning routine is to grab a bar and a pour-over of our latest single-origin coffee, which together form a delicious and super-fueling breakfast.

In the true spirit of La Colombe, these bars started as an experiment. A few weeks ago, JP asked our pastry chef, Angela, to create a hearty, homestyle breakfast bar. So she got to work, using spare moments to test out different ratios of butter and honey. The biggest challenge was getting the ingredients to hold together.

The weeks of experimenting were well worth it: the granola bars were immediately a hit. One customer came back three days in a row for them!

This recipe is easy and very customizable, so you can swap in your favorite nuts and dried fruits. For gluten-free bars, you can leave out the wheat germ and use gluten-free oats. One catch, if you’re not a super savvy chef, or don’t own a scale, converting the grams to cups and spoons could pose a challenge. Good luck, and Enjoy!!

Ingredients:
Honey – 400 grams
Butter – 120 grams
Brown Sugar – 200 grams
Salt – 10 grams
Vanilla Extract – 2 tsp.
Oats – 400 grams
Pecans – 300 grams
Pistachios – 300 grams
Sunflower Seeds – 240 grams
Flax Seeds – 150 grams
Dried Sour Cherries – 240 grams
Dried Blueberries – 240 grams
Wheat Germ (optional) – 200 grams

Steps
1)   Toast nuts, seeds, oats, and wheat germ (optional) at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Stir halfway through to ensure even toasting.
2)   Melt honey, sugar, and butter together.
3)   Place toasted nuts/seeds mixture in large bowl with dried fruit.
4)   Pour honey mixture over nuts, stir well to combine, making sure all nuts and oats are coated.
5)   Press down into greased dish or pan. We use 16 ½” by 12”, but you can use a smaller pan to get thicker granola bars. Lay a piece of parchment or plastic on top of the mixture, and weight it down. You can use heavy books, or another pan with heavy objects on top.
6)   Let cool for 2-3 hours. Cut and enjoy!