Orange and Chocolate Granola Candy

Tod wanted to take granola bars to a hanami picnic, so I made these. As I often do these days, I consulted Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” for the basics, then changed it all around to suit myself. These turned out to be more like candy than granola bars! Packed with energy (85 calories per piece) Tod has declared that he wants to have them on his 60km weekend bike rides.
Orange and Chocolate Granola Candy
makes 48 bite-sized pieces
3 cups (~400 g) organic granola (the kind without dried fruit)
1 cup chopped dried fruits and nuts (raisins, apricots, currents, mango, almonds, pinenuts, etc)
zest of 1 orange, peeled and chopped
50 g unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
Mix the granola, fruits, nuts, zest, chocolate and spices. Boil the honey, maple syrup & oil. Drizzle the hot syrup over the granola, mixing well. Press into an ungreased 9×12 pan. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container. They won’t last the four days that Bittman claims they stay good for.