Gingerbread Breakfast Bars

(original recipe from Vocalpoint, greatly adapted to be my own)

-

Preheat oven to 350, spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

-

Sift together:

1 3/4 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

12/ tsp ground allspice

1/2 c packed brown sugar

(you could also use a packaged gingerbread mix)

-

Beat together:

1 large egg

1 1/4 c lukewarm water

-

Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened, then add:

3 c granola cereal (buy it or make your own)

dried fruit (I like currants, but raisins, craisins, or other small, soft fruit will work)

chopped nuts (optional - my granola already had some)

-

Pour into prepared pan. Bake about 30-35 minutes or until bars spring back when pressed with fingertips. Cool, then cut and serve.

-

They store great in the fridge for several days. This works great as a hearty addition to breakfast, or they are perfect for a grab and run snack to tide you over. I keep them in the fridge and eat one for my mid-morning re-fueling. Ryan calls them super oatmeal cookies. Whatever you like.

-

Tip: I like to double the dry ingredients at the top and save half to make it quicker to put these together next time. Just store in an air-tight container in your pantry.