Yummy!

A friend recently shared a recipe for homemade granola bars.  I decided on a whim to make some today.  I went basic.. peanut butter and chocolate chip. Added the chips before the mixture had cool enough and they melted a bit. Still they taste YUM and I doubt they will be around long!  Today's combo was based on what was on hand.  I also have some dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut which I think would be phenomenal together. But I don't want to use peanut butter with them and I had no other nut butter to use.  So I will do some exploring in the health / organic food section at Kroger and see what I can find.

Here is the recipe (from my friend, Susan):

Alicia’s Mix and Match Granola Bars
Makes about 20 full sized bars or 30 smaller bars

Ingredients:
4 cups quick cooking oats
3 cups dry cereal *
2 cups dried fruit **
1 cup nuts or seeds ***
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup honey
1 cup sunbutter, soy nut butter or peanut butter
2 tsp real vanilla

1.  Grease and set aside a 9×13 or 10×14 inch baking pan.

2.  In a very large bowl, stir together the oats, cereal, fruit and nuts.

3.  Heat the brown sugar and honey in a pan over medium heat, stirring often, just until boiling.  Remove from heat and stir in the nut butter and vanilla.

4.  Pour hot mixture over dry mixture and mix well.  (If you are adding in chocolate chips, allow the mixture to cool slightly so they do not melt.)

5.  Press very firmly into prepared pan (wetting your hands can help a bit).  Allow to cool and cut into bars. 

*  Good dry cereal choices are rice crispies, cheerios and corn flakes.  Rice crispies are perfect but anything crunchy will do.

**  Dried fruit options include raisins, cranberries, blueberries, cherries, pineapple, etc.  Diced prunes are surprisingly sweet and delicious but they’re rather sticky.  I dust them with powdered sugar to chop them so they don’t make a sticky mass.  You can also add ingredients like coconut and chocolate chips.  Our favorite mix so far is chopped prunes, tart cherries, coconut and some white chocolate chips.  You can also do themes like tropical with coconut, papaya, pineapple…

*** Any nuts or seeds will do.  These contribute protein, texture and a bigger health punch.  Options include sunflower seeds, chopped almonds, pecans, sesame seeds, flax seeds….

My husband saw the oatmeal out and said "Are you making Oatmeal Scotchies?"  I told him I wasn't, but if I had butterscotch chips I would. I had some.. so I baked him some cookies.  (You can find the recipe for those here: Oatmeal Scotchies )

2 yummy treats in one afternoon. I don't imagine they will last long. Both our kids and there "others" will be here tomorrow for lunch. I figure these will be discovered then if not sooner and once that happens they will be headed out the door. Which is totally fine!

No doubt these are not Weight Watchers friendly, but you know.. sometimes you need to enjoy life and not have to worry about counting points!