Granola Bars

These are my all time favorite granola bars.  My sister lovingly adapted this recipe from here to make it a little healthier and yummier.  I used some of her tricks to make the recipe below, so here you go.  

Delicious, Healthy, Chewy Granola Bars

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the following on a large cookie sheet:

2 cups oats

¾ cup wheat germ

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

½ cup raw sunflower seeds

½ cup peanuts, crushed

½ cup almonds, crushed 

**I use whatever nuts I have on hand (cashews and pecans are delicious).  Just make sure you end up with about 1 cup total.

Place cookie sheet in oven and toast lightly for 5-10 minutes stirring once.

While you wait chop:

8 oz. of dried fruit (cranberry’s, raisins, blueberry’s, cherry's) 

Set aside.  

Then mix the following over medium heat until completely melted:

½ cup sucanat (blended in blender until fine like powdered sugar to help it dissolve)

½ cup honey

4 tbsp coconut oil (or butter)

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp kosher salt

*Use ¾ cup brown sugar to replace sucanat if you don’t have any.  You can buy it at your local health food store.

Rob likes it when I add chocolate chips.  Shhhhh.  They are supposed to be healthy.

Place dry and wet ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the dried fruit and mix together until evenly coated.   Poor granola into a wax paper lined 9 x 9 inch cake pan.  Place another piece of wax paper directly on top of the granola and press down with your hands until the granola is tightly packed into one large bar.

Set aside until completely cooled and slightly harder.  Turn cake pan over onto a cutting board.  Peel away wax paper and cut into bars.  Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in airtight container or ziplock in the fridge.