Homemade Granola Bars ...

Perfected ... or at least really close :).

























After trying several recipes, my latest was a huge success. It passes the picky eater seal of approval, the husband seal of approval, sister seal of approval and fellow mommy seal of approval.

I used this recipe with a few small modifications ~ Homemade Whole Grain & Nut Energy Bars
(which is really close to my second favorite, Thick, Chewy Granola Bars). I noted my changes in parentheses.

Ingredients:

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup raw nuts (1/2C pecans & 1/2C unsalted cashews)

1/2 cup raw seeds (unsalted/un-roasted sunflower seeds)

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup ground flaxseed (1/2C wheat germ)

1/3 cup natural peanut butter (almond butter/a tiny bit of Jif when I ran out of almond ;D)

2/3 cup honey

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter (more like 4T since I had half a stick in the fridge)

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

pinch of course salt

1 cup dark chocolate ships or chunks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Line 13x9" baking pan with foil or parchment paper (for easy removal), and butter all sides.

Toast oats, nuts & seeds, and coconut on a cookie sheet in the oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

** I skipped this step and instead put all the dry ingredients (minus the oats) in the food processor to get a finer mix. **

Meanwhile, bring peanut butter, honey, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt to a simmer to a small saucepan. Reduce heat to low.

Transfer toasted mixture to a large mixing bowl, and add the flaxseed (**wheat germ**).

Carefully pour the wet mixture into the bowl, and stir until fully combined; incorporate the chocolate chips.

Transfer mixture to the prepared pan, and use the back of a spoon to pack it in really well.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Cool in the pan for a few hours, then cut into bars and enjoy!

**I purchased all of my nuts/coconut/wheat germ from the bulk section at Win-Co making it slightly less expensive. I also buy my almond butter fresh ground as well as my honey from Win-Co. I wouldn't say this is a 'cheap' replacement for store bought granola bars, but they are so, so, so much better tasting (and better for you). Plus it makes 16 bars, which is about 2 boxes ... so it's probably a wash or a slight savings. **

Unlike the other recipes I had tried, these cut really nice about 2 hours after baking and didn't require overnight cooling to come together. I cut the pan into 16 rectangular bars which really stayed together. Sure there are still a few crumbles, like any granola bar, but so much less than my earlier attempts.

Want to know how much I like these? We only have 4 bars left and I made these yesterday morning. Now I didn't eat all 14, but I've had more than my fair share. Love them!

Let me know if you try them!