Giada's Apricot Oat Bars

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• Filling
• 1 (13-ounce) jar apricot jam or preserves (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 8 dried apricots, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1/3 cup)
• Crust
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 packed cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup (4 ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 egg, at room temperature, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 13 by 2-inch metal baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with vegetable oil cooking spray and set aside.

Filling: In a small bowl, mix together the jam and the apricots. Set aside.

Crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Stir in the oats and walnuts. Add the butter, egg and vanilla and stir until incorporated.

Using a fork or clean fingers, lightly press half of the crust mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Using a spatula, spread the filling over the crust leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pan. Cover the filling with the remaining crust mixture and gently press to flatten. Bake until light golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 1 hour. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Emeril's Granola

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup chopped raw almonds

1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup raisins

2 tablespoons flax seeds

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons pepitas

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons agave

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to mix well. In another small bowl, combine the wet ingredients and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine until well mixed. Transfer the mixture to the baking sheet and spread it out using a spatula. Transfer to the oven and cook until golden brown, about 22 minutes, stirring midway through cooking. Remove from the oven and break up any large pieces. When completely cooled, store the granola in an airtight container.

Yield: about 3 cups