Granola Bars Recipe

I've been meaning to make this for quite some time. Months actually. But first I had to finish the 10 boxes of granola bars we had on hand...and then I had to get around to actually doing it! I'm so glad I did. They turned out GREAT and were not hard to make at all. And it's a pretty healthy recipe to boot!

Granola Bars

2 cups oats

3/4 cup wheat germ

3/4 cup sunfower seeds

1 cup peanuts, crushed

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

4 Tbsp butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

8 oz dried fruit

Preheat oven to 400. Crush peanuts in baggie with rolling pin. Mix peanuts, oats, wheat germ and sunflower seeds in a 9X13 baking dish. toast them in the over for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they don't burn and get evenly toasted.

Line a glass 11X13 pan with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with nonstick spray.

Combine brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.

Mix everything (toasted ingredients, liquid mixture and fruit) together in a bowl stirring VERY well. You have to get everything well coated with your liquid mixture. When you think you're done stirring.  Stir a little more.

Spread into prepared baking dish. Cover with another piece of sprayed parchment paper and press hard all over. You want to compact it together so that your bars won't fall apart when you cut them.

Wait 2-3 hours until COMPLETELY cooled. Then remove top paper, lift out bottom parchment paper and flip over carefully. Cut into 18-20 granola bars by pressing down firmly with knife, not sawing. (I get 20)

I wrapped ours individually in saran wrap, but you could do whatever. If you put them in a tupperware, put a piece of wax paper between each layer so it doesn't stick.