Easy Homemade Granola Bars

I have been complaining (mostly to myself) about the difficulty in finding vegan granola bars that wont cause this poor college student to drop out of school and find a less than savory job in order to support my granola habit. I found a really easy recipe from a favorite blog (recipe altered from this post- check out this blog it is amazing!) and my mom and I cooked up a couple batches of our own.

You can add pretty much whatever mixture of nuts, seeds, chocolate, or fruit you like and the measurements can be altered to fit your taste as well. We made 2 batches and here is what we used-

Granola Bars: makes about 20

3 cups rolled oats each batch
½ cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup chopped almonds
¼ cup flaxseeds
¼ cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup agave nectar or honey
½ cup peanut butter
¼ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup each of dies cranberries & raisins
¼ cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet vegan if that is how you swing)

Heat oven to 325º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange oats, nuts, seeds and coconut shreds and toast for 15 minutes.

Combine Honey/agave peanut butter, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon over low heat until sugar dissolves.

Pour wet concoction over your toasted dry ingredients and mix well. Add any fruit. If adding Chocolate chips allow mixture to cool then mix them in to avoid melting or press them over the top and press in with the next step. (might also be an option to melt chocolate and drizzle over completed bars.) Spread out in a glass baking pan and press down firmly to eliminate air pockets. Bake for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool completely then cut and enjoy!