Mixed Review: King Arthur Flour All-Natural Cranberry-Sunflower Granola Bars

Ever wonder about a boxed mix you've seen in the store? Is it any good? Could it replace something you'd otherwise make from scratch? Welcome to Mixed Review, where the whole point is putting boxed mixes to the test! —The Mgmt.

I have a granola bar almost every morning for breakfast. To me, they are just about the perfect food. On the one hand, they are healthy and satisfying, filled with whole grains, oats, and dried fruit. On the other hand, they are a bit like candy bars: sweet, crunchy-chewy, and frequently laced with peanut butter and chocolate chips. But much as I love them, lately I've been feeling like I'm in a granola bar rut. I buy the same box week in and week out. So I decided to test out King Arthur Flour's All-Natural Cranberry-Sunflower Granola Bar Mix ($9.95). I was hoping for my old breakfast standby elevated to new heights--fresher and more flavorful, like something you might find in a glass jar atop you local bakery's counter.

The King Arthur Flour mix is quite versatile. It comes with different instructions for making crunchy granola bars or chewy ones. You can use honey or maple syrup. Add in up to 1 1/2 cups of additional ingredients if you like (such as dried coconut, chocolate chips, or raisins) but it's certainly not necessary.

I decided to make crunchy granola bars with coconut and chocolate chips. I poured the mix into a bowl and added the requisite 4 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons of honey. I stirred and stirred, working at the mixture of oats, nuts, and fruit with my trusty wooden spoon. But no matter how much I worked the "dough," I couldn't moisten all the ingredients. The bottom of the bowl was filled with dry, grainy powder.

On to my backup plan: chewy granola bars. The recipe for chewy bars called for an additional 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 tablespoon of water. Now I was cooking with fire. There were just enough wet ingredients to lightly coat everything in my bowl.

Next, I spread the granola mixture evenly into a 9x13-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Though the instructions didn't direct me to, I pressed the mixture down gently but firmly (as if I was making a crumb crust). Then I slid the baking pan into a 350°F oven for 25 minutes.

The Results?

My granola bars emerged fragrant, golden-brown, and bubbling at the edges. I let them rest for five minutes, and then scored them into bars with a greased chef's knife. When hot, they were extremely soft and pliable, almost to the point of falling apart. I was concerned that they wouldn't hold their bar shape.

It turns out my worries were unfounded. Once they had cooled completely my granola bars firmed up well. Texturally, they were on the line between chewy and crunchy. Not quite as sticky as a Quaker granola bar, but not quite as snappy as a Nature Valley, either. More importantly, the flavor was just what I had hoped for. They tasted freshly toasted, filled with oats and honey. While I couldn't really taste the sunflower seeds, there were big chunks of pecans and nuggets of tart dried cranberries, and the coconut and chocolate I tossed in added a hint of indulgence.

Overall, I found this mix exceptionally easy to prepare and the results terrific. These granola bars tasted like something your friend's hippie mom would bake and serve you after school. I highly recommend them.