Healthy Granola Bars

     Just the other night I whipped up a pan of my favorite healthy granola bars. I got this recipe from a friend and they are so good! We’re going camping tonight so I knew granola bars would be an easy snack to bring along. However, my husband texted me yesterday saying they were “SO GOOD” and that “they won’t last long.” Luckily there are some left for tonight, mostly because half the pan has dried cranberries(because I like them). I know my husband would pick them out if he had to. So, these bars are very yummy and soft and filling and healthy. Here’s the recipe if you’re interested.

Healthy Granola Bars

Dry ingredients:
2 cups oats (not quick oats)
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup rice krispees(optional)
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup peanuts, chopped
1 cup raisins, chocolate chips, or dried fruit (or all of the above)


Wet ingredients:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1. Put first 5 dry ingredients into glass bowl (oven safe). Toast in oven 10-12 minutes 350˚. Stir every 3-4 minutes until lightly toasted (you can tell by the smell when it's toasted). Remove from oven and add last dry ingredient(s).


2. While toasting mixture, melt butter in a large skillet. Add sugar and honey (now is when you would use peanut butter instead of honey or with less honey). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir until mixture stops foaming (mine never stopped but it was foaming less) and begins to turn clear amber. Do not cook mixture for more than 10 minutes or it will taste scorched (the longer it cooks the harder the bar). Remove from heat and add extract and salt.


3. Pour syrup over dry ingredients and stir until well mixed. Turn out onto wax paper (i lined my 9x13 pan with wax paper, dumped the mixture in, then i covered it with wax paper, and pressed into the pan). Cool then cut (wait 20 minutes or less to cut. The bars were really soft until they had set up overnight.)