Homemade Granola Bars

Here is a recipe that I made off off the internet  that tastes amazing....super healthy & easy to make! BONUS! Thought I'd share it with you...

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Gather your ingredients:

2 cups oats

3/4 cup wheat germ

3/4 cup sunflower seeds (instead of sunflower seeds I chop almonds instead...way better)

1 cup peanuts, crushed

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

4 Tbsp butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

approximately 8 oz. dried fruit (for those who want to be even more healthy, but I usually add chocolate chips instead)

Then, mix the peanuts, oats, wheat germ, and sunflower seeds or almonds in a baking dish with sides. Toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they don’t get burned.

Meanwhile, prepare a glass baking dish (about 11 x 13 inches) for your granola by lining it with waxed paper lightly sprayed with a nonstick spray. (I've also used aluminum foil) 

Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.) By now, your grains and nuts should be toasted, so mix everything together in a large bowl. The grains, the liquid “glue,” and the dried fruit or chocolate chips. Oh, and turn off your oven, because you’re finished with it now. Mix everything REALLY WELL because you want to make sure the “glue” gets all over everything. Now, dump your granola mixture into your prepared baking dish.

Spread out the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Now fold over the sides of the waxed paper or add a sheet on top, and PRESS HARD all over the granola. You want to compact it together so that your bars won’t fall apart when you cut them.

Wait 2-3 hours or until the granola has totally cooled.