Copy Cat Creations: Granola Bars

Good Morning!! In preparation for our overnight Relay for Life walk this evening, I've been making us some snacks to keep us fueled up! I've already got a trail mix bagged up but decided I also wanted to try my hand at some granola bars, too. I looked at about a dozen recipes before deciding to just mix up my own batch...probably not the best of ideas since I got more of a square than a bar and some of it crumbled into just plain granola. Oops! However, I will say that the flavor profile is really, really good! With the crumbling in mind, I've updated the recipe below to make yours a bit more stable and sticky. I think adding some extra peanut butter and whatever syrup you choose will most definitely help. Just use this recipe as a base and swap in what you have on hand or other flavors that your family loves! A yummy, healthy way to keep your family fueled all week long!

HOMEMADE GRANOLA BARS

What you need for the bars:
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds or other chopped nuts (I used cashews)
2 cups dried fruit, chopped (I used 1 cup raisins and 1 cup figs)
2 cups rolled quick oats
2 cups rice or other grain cereal (I used Rice Krispies)
3/4 cup creamy or crunch natural peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup or honey (I used 1/4 cup pure maple syrup and 1/4 cup natural honey since the original recipe called for 1/2 cup...in hindsight the maple syrup may have been too thin for this and corn syrup may help hold things together better.)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To make the bars:
1. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F.
2. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray or grease.
3. Mix all of the dry ingredients (nuts, fruit, oats and cereal) in a large bowl. 4. Be sure to chop your nuts and/or fruit if needed.