"Better Than Those Other" Granola Bars

For the past week I've been trying to find a good granola bar recipe.  There are a bunch of veeeery yummy recipes out there.

But I wanted one that didn't have butter, salt, condensed milk or other not-so-healthy things.  I also wanted one that had ingredients that my girls and I like, was quick to throw together, and that actually stuck together.

So here is my recipe for granola bars.

 

Better Granola Bars

1/2 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup honey

2 cups oats

1/4 cup almonds

1/2 cup peanuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Microwave the peanut butter and honey for 30-40 seconds and mix well.  Pour in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Press into an 8x8 foil lined pan.  Refrigerate until cool.  Flip out of pan and

cut to desired size.

 Most recipes I saw said to melt things on the stove, but this is much faster and you don't have to heat it so much that the chocolate chips melt.  Of course if you like the chocolate more dispersed just heat the peanut butter and honey a little longer.

To make this healthier you can use organic peanut butter, dark chocolate chips, local honey, and peanuts that you shell yourself.  It makes me feel better at least. :)
You could also add non-sweetened coconut or other nuts.

I store mine in the fridge in a sealed tupperware container.  It seems like the warmer they get the more likely they are to fall apart or be super sticky.

After giving one to my 4 year old she said, "These are better than those other ones."  I thought she meant they were better than the ones I had been experimenting with, but she said they were better than the ones in the packages....hence the name "Better Granola Bars."   Yea for homemade! 

Hope you enjoy!