Granola Bars

I posted a granola bar recipe on Facebook recently. It was this recipe (and more time) that really prompted me to experiment more. Since I've heard a lot of anti-high fructose corn syrup lately, I wanted to make granola bars without it. In my first attempt, I used honey instead of corn syrup. I added chocolate chips and coconut. These bars were a little crumbly, but I think more honey and a slightly longer baking time could fix this.


I made the bars again today with honey, peanut butter, and coconut. This time, I substituted almond extract for vanilla extract. Mmmm! The peanut butter is holding these bars together better than my first batch. I'm not sure I love the peanut butter-coconut combination, but it's not bad. 


• 4½ cups old-fashioned oats (not quick oats!)
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup corn syrup
• 1 stick margarine or butter, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1-1½ cups chocolate chips/peanut butter chips/dried fruit/nuts/coconut

1) Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
2) Press into a greased 9x13.
3) Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Lengthen bake time for crunchier bars.
4) Immediately after removing bars from oven, use a flat spatula to press bars firmly into pan (this helps them hold together).
5) Cut into bars after cooling for 10 minutes.