diy breakfast bars

Sometimes I need a make-ahead breakfast or a hearty snack for outings in the wilderness, but there's not much to like about  packaged so-called breakfast bars and snack bars with their "chocolatey flavoring" and sugar-coated-sawdust flavor. Marlboro Man to the rescue with a [mostly] wholesome and completely tasty recipe for breakfast bars. Easily adaptable to preferences. I recently hosted a basement full of men-folk on a fishing excursion, and they seemed quite fond of these goodies. Here is our spin on the original:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup molasses or honey
1 tsp. orange zest
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground or freshly grated nutmeg
2  cups old fashioned oats
2/3 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, macadamia)
1 1/2 cups combined dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, chopped apricots, or dates)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks

Mix butter, sugar, eggs and molasses in a large mixing bowl until combined. Sift in flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well. Stir in oats, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate. Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment, spoon in batter. It will be very thick. Bake at 400 degrees for 13-14 minutes or until done through.  Cool completely, then remove contents of pan via parchment paper and cut into squares or bars. 

recipe from Mr. J's favorite cookbook, which is full of macho cowboy-type recipes like chili and brisket and cobbler. Man food, in general.