No Bake Granola Bars

These granola bars remind me of the Quaker Chewy bars. My friend Jenny shared this recipe with me. It looks most similar to this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/223164/chewy-no-bake-granola-bars/ and the comments say that the wet ingredients need to be boiled longer to reach a “soft ball” consistency. Mine did fall apart a little the first time and I haven’t been adventurous to try it again since I end up eating the whole thing myself. Let me know if you try it! A little corn syrup can also help it bind.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (save some for the top)
• 2 cups quick-cooking/instant oats
• 1 to 3/4 cups crispy rice cereal
• 1/4 cup flax meal or wheat germ or chia seeds
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips, raisins or any other dried fruit

Directions

1. Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper Or greased foil.
2. In a large pot, combine the butter, brown sugar and honey. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 10 min.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
4. Add the oats, rice cereal, and flax meal (or wheat germ) to the pan and fold with a rubber spatula until well combined.
5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press down lightly with a rubber spatula to even out. Sprinkle the miniature chocolate chips over top, adding more or less to suit your taste, and press down FIRMLY with the spatula so the chips stick.The mixture should be tightly compacted in the pan. Sprinkle salt on top. Place the pan in the refrigerator for 1-1/2 – 2 hours to cool.
6. Use the foil overhang to transfer the uncut bars to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut into rectangles. Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you have to stack them, be sure to use parchment paper or foil in between the layers, otherwise they’ll stick together and fall apart.

Note: If you are substituting dried fruit for the chocolate chips, mix it in along with the other ingredients as opposed to sprinkling over top. Chocolate chips can be mixed in if the mixture is not too hot.