Ever since I had the Best Granola Bar in the World last year, I’ve been on a quest to recreate it from scratch. The treat in question wasn’t some high-end bakery or fancy farmer’s market model, but an unassuming store brand from a chain supermarket in Lisbon. It was simple – just a handful of ingredients – with had the optimal balance of nuts and dried fruit, and perfect crunch and sweetness levels.

My post-trip research led me to the store’s recipe site, where I attempted to make sense of their Barritas de aveia e frutos secos recipe. Even a Portuguese-speaking friend was confused about how much oat flour was called for. I made the recipe anyway, guessing at one of the mystery quantities. Verdict: too doughy – the bar I pined for was full of nuts and oats, not flour. 

Next I adjusted the recipe slightly, using whole rolled oats instead of oat flour. Alas, still nowhere near the tasty bar I dreamed of.

I scoured the net for other granola-bar recipes and tried a few. My recipe app swelled with attempts like “5-Ingredient Healthy Granola Bars.” But nothing came close.

Then one day, my partner brought home a sesame-seed-laden granola square from a natural-foods store near his office. “You have to try this! It’s almost as good as the one we had in Lisbon!”

I agreed, though not being a fan of shredded coconut, it still wasn’t perfect for my picky palate. Culinary experiments ensued, with different combinations of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and sweeteners. While maple syrup and brown sugar matched the ingredients on the most recent bar, my rendition was too crumbly. I tried maple syrup alone, but while super tasty, it still had trouble holding together. 

Finally, I landed on honey, which acted both as binder and sweetener. Bingo! Just the right stickiness and texture. In that moment, I knew I’d be hard-pressed to buy a store-bought granola bar again. Unless I’m lucky enough to have another vacation to Porgugal, perhaps.