Granola Bars

I've been happy with the all-natural granola bar selections at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, but thought I might be able to save a little money by making them myself. There are several different, but very similar, recipes floating around Pinterest, so I decided to try one. 

The first picture shows all the ingredients...every one all-natural, except the crispy rice cereal, because I couldn't find all-natural crispy rice.


They didn't turn out quite like I expected...they did not stay together at all. Don't get me wrong, they tasted delicious but definitely did not stay in bar form. I had substituted agave for the honey, which probably didn't help. The honey would have helped them stick together better I assume.

So, I am going to try a few more recipes, but I may be sticking to store-bought. 
To be continued.... :)

No Bake Chewy Granola Bars

• 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 cups plain granola (I used 1 cup granola and 1 cup oats)
• 1 cup rice cereal (Rice Krispies, etc.)
• 1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Process

1. Line two 9×5 loaf pans or one 11×7 inch baking pan (see tip #4 above if you want to use 9×13) with foil or parchment. Lightly butter or spray the foil. Set aside.
2. Combine butter, honey and brown sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter is melted.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
4. Add the granola and rice cereal into the saucepan and fold them into the sauce until evenly coated.
5. Spread the mixture into the prepared pans and press firmly with a spatula to evenly fill. Sprinkle the chocolate chips onto the top of the granola and gently press them down with the spatula.
6. Let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes or until mostly cooled and set; lift out of the pan and cut into bars.