Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

These are my current obsession! Finally a healthy, delicious, sweet snack! The bars are chewy and very peanut butter-y. You can really play around with what other things you'd like to add to it. For this one I added dried apricots, cashews, and chocolate chips!

The great things about granola bars are many. You can use them as a snack. They are great on the go and kids love them. You can carry them hiking or on a walk or just to the office. You can crumble them over yogurt. And these also make great gifts during the holidays or anytime!

These really knock out hunger. There is protein in the nuts and peanut butter and fiber in the brown rice cereal and wheat germ. The recipe is so adaptable so play with it and let me know your favorite add-in's!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup brown rice crisp cereal (Whole Foods Market has a store brand that's easier on the wallet)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp natural peanut butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Optional: Nuts, seeds & dried fruit (I used cashews & apricots)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray.

Mix all oats, rice cereal, brown sugar, salt and wheat germ in a large bowl. In a smaller separate bowl whisk together oil, honey, maple syrup, and vanilla until combined. Add wet bowl to the oat mixture and start stirring with a wooden spoon.

Add peanut butter and mix with hands. Try to spread out the ingredient and really mix everything well.

Lastly, add chocolate chips, nuts, seeds, and/or dried fruit and mix well.

Pour into the non-stick pan and press the mixture together as much as possible. This will help them hold together. Be firm! Bake for 25 minutes. When you take it out it will still be soft. It will harden as it cools.

Place on a baking rack and allow to cool for at least 1-2 hrs (3-4hrs is better). Flip the bars out onto a cutting board and cut into bars. If you can put them in the fridge for a couple hours, you'll get a cleaner cut but that's not necessary. Some will fall apart but most will stay together. Try to cut from from the middle outward with a large sharp knife.