Custom Granola Bars

Yup, you read that right, "Custom Granola Bars". That's the only name that really fits these, and I love them. We all love them. The possibilities are endless, and I bet your family will love them too. Give them a try, they really are pretty easy. Sorry there's not a picture yet, they disappear super fast around here.

Custom Granola Bars
4.5 C Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 C Whole wheat flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla
2/3 C Butter - softened
2/3 C Honey
2 C Add-Ins

Pre-heat the oven to 325 and lightly grease a 9x13 pan with butter.

Combine oats, flour, and baking soda and whisk until well mixed.

Cream together butter, honey and Vanilla with a mixer.

In a large bowl, with a fork, mix the oat mixture, the add-ins and the the butter mixture until you don't see any dry spots. This takes a little arm power and a few minutes, but dry spots will make your bars crumble, so this is important.

As far as what you use for add-in's, the sky is the limit, as long as they're dry. We've done dried blueberries with raw sunflower kernels and chocolate ships. We've done just raisins. Coconut flakes with dried pineapple and macadamia nuts is amazing.

Press the mixture into the 9 x 13 pan, making sure to firmly pat everything down. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then cut into square or bar shapes. I've had the most luck with squares. Make sure to slice slowly, the mixture will still try to pull apart at this point. Once cut, let the bars cool completely to room temperature before removing them. Once cooled, they should hold their shape and stay solid, just like the store bought versions.

What's your favorite granola bar mix?