We are just a little really fond of Chewy Granola Bars but the only problem is almost all recipes call for corn-syrup and, whenever possible, I try to avoid using/eating it. After many failed recipes and quite a bit of searching, I finally came up with the perfect combination of salty-sweet-chewiness that my entire family loves! AND to make the deal sweeter, these Chewy Granola Bars are NATURALLY GLUTEN FREE!! :) We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!!
Yields 1 9×13 (about 16 bars!)
- 4 cups quick cooking oats (or pulse whole oats in a food processor a bit)
- 2 C rice crispy cereal
- 1/2 C shredded coconut
- 1/2 C butter
- 1/2 C honey
- 1 C brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 C creamy peanut butter (optional)
- 3/4 C chocolate chips
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oats, cereal and coconut. Add peanut butter(optional) to the top and set aside! Set a small saucepan over medium high heat and melt the butter. Add the honey, brown sugar and salt. Stir together then leave it alone as it comes to a boil. Once the boil has reached all the way around the edges of the pan, begin timing(this is where your iphone will come in handy ;)! Allow this mixture to boil for 2 minutes and 20 seconds. During this time, you may need to turn the heat down a bit so it doesn’t overflow, but be sure it keeps boiling.
- Add the vanilla and then pour the mixture over the oats, using a rubber spatula to get all the sugar mixture out of the pan. Mix the ingredients together until the oats are completely coated. Add in chocolate chips(and any other mix-ins you would like) then press very firmly into parchment lined 9×13″ pan! Place them in the freezer for 20 minutes then cut to size.
- ENJOY!!
