Homemade Yogurt and No-Bake Granola Bars

Here are some great new recipes. The granola bar recipe is from RecipeZaar and the yogurt is from A Year of Crockpotting.

No-Bake Granola Bars

2.5 cups crispy rice cereal
2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla


1. In large bowl, combine cereal, rolled oats and raisins. Set aside.

2. In small saucepan, combine brown sugar and corn syrup.

3. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

4. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla, blend until smooth.

5. Pour over cereal mixture, mix well.

6. Press into ungreased 13x9 pan.

7. Cool. Cut into bars.



That's the "official" recipe. I tweaked it a little bit. I used dried cranberries instead of raisins and added about 1/4 cup chocolate chips after I stirred in the liquid mixture (so the chocolate wouldn't melt). The chocolate made it a little more appetizing for Jeremy and Hannah. They both loved it! The first time I made this recipe, I used instant oats. I already had them in the cabinet and I wanted to see if it would make a difference. It does. The oats cook a little when the hot mixture is poored over it and makes it taste more like a no bake cookie. The next time I used quick cook oats and the end result was very similar to a store bought granola bar.




Yogurt made in the crock-pot

It sounds crazy, but it works- and tastes just like the store bought stuff!

All you need is a half gallon of whole milk,1/2 cup live/active culture yogurt, a crockpot, and a bath towel.

1. Plug in crockpot and turn to low.

2. Add all of the milk.

3. Cover and cook on low for 2.5 hours.

4. Unplug crockpot and let sit for 3 hours with the lid on.

5. When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store bought live/active culture yogurt ( I used dannon all natural). Place mixture back in crockpot and stir to combine.

6. Put lid back on crockpot and leave it unplugged. Wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.

7. Let it sit for 8 hours.

8. Place in refrigerator. This is good for 7-10 days. You can save 1/2 cup of this and use as a starter for the next batch.



I was leary so I just ate a small amount at first. It was a little funny cooking milk and then leaving it sit out, but I guess that's what yogurt is - cooked milk. I've have two more servings since then and haven't gotten sick. I'm not so keen on the idea that this was made with whole milk and I've read that it's fine with 2%, just runnier. The website suggests to add some powedered milk or unflavored gelatin to thicken it up. I'll do that next time, because I like thicker yogurt. The website suggests adding fruit or honey to make it sweeter, but I like to eat it with the homemade granola on top. Too bad I'm the only one here that likes it - it makes a lot. I might try it with half the amount of milk next time.