Gather:
1 cup of rolled oats
1/4 cup each roasted sunflower seeds and chopped, roasted almonds
1 tablespoon each flax seeds and roasted sesame seeds ( I used black)
I cup whole-grain, puffed, unsweetened cereal
1/3 cup each chopped apricots, raisins, and dried cranberries
1/4 cup of natural peanut butter or other natural nut butter
1/4 cup plus a tablespoon of honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
a pinch of salt
Do it:
Toast oats on stove top until fragrant, but careful not to burn! Set aside.
Chop nuts and dried fruit and add to a bowl with the oats, puffed cereal, and seeds.
In a small sauce pan, mix natural peanut butter, honey, vanilla, brown sugar, and salt over medium heat, stirring for about 4 minutes constantly so as not to burn (turn the heat down slightly if it is bubbling too rapidly).
Combine the wet and dry ingredients, mixing quickly before patting into an 8x8 square pan lined with parchment and greased with coconut oil. Ensure bars are tightly pressed into the pan.
Refrigerate to harden.
Pull parchment edges to lift bars from pan, cut and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
I'm fairly certain any substitutions in equal amounts of nuts and or seeds and dried fruits would be just fine, the key being to chop well and keep the ratios the same in order that your bars will hold together and cut well.
Likely the honey could be replaced with brown rice syrup, maple syrup... possibly molasses, but I have not tested any of those ideas to be certain. My bars held together very well and cut into neat squares that did not crumble.
These bars came together quite quickly and make a really good, cost-effective version of their store-bought counterparts.
I have tried many granola bar or energy bar recipes and this one from has one of the best results by far. I will definitely make again.
