Reader Question: Starbucks Oat Bars

This week’s challenge has far fewer restrictions but a twist of its own. It comes from my friend Anja, who writes:

Can you replicate a recipe from Starbucks? They have an oat bar that I love, but haven’t been able to replicate it myself. I’m always looking for a healthy breakfast. If not, do you have any suggestions for a a good granola bar recipe?

A few years ago, I created a knock off of Starbucks’ Nature Bars. They’re chock full of cereal, nuts, seeds and dried fruit. And the glue that holds all this goodness together? Melted marshmallows. I don’t care how delightful the Lucky Charms Leprechaun is. Marshmallows are not part of a healthy breakfast.

So, I went to Starbucks, found the oat & fruit bars Anja mentioned and have worked out the basic proportion for the granola. But my brain is still in marshmallow mode. Can you help? Oh, and the twist? How on earth can you do research like this without ODing on caffeine?

I figure if we combine our efforts we’ll come up with a “laptop” recipe that we can hand down without guilt.

Photo © LDCross. Published under a Creative Commons License.