Chewy Granola Bars

Reach for these when you need that little pick me up in the afternoon.  Your whole family will LOVE them, I am sure!   I like to make a double batch because they disappear so fast.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup of your favorite crunchy cereal (like brown rice cereal—rice crispy type)
  • ¼ cup sesame seeds, whole
  • 1 ½ cups dried apricots (I used chopped Medjool dates)
  • 1 cup organic raisins
  • ¼ cup chopped almonds (soak them ahead of time if you want them to be softer)
  • ¼ cup flaxseed (golden flaxseed is my favorite)
  • ½ cup protein powder (or flour, your choice)
  • 1 TBL. Butter or coconut oil
  • ¾ cup brown rice syrup
  • ½ cup raw almond butter or natural peanut butter
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Pour into large mixing bowl and the remaining ingredients, except oil syrup, cinnamon.  Mix completely and break up any chunks of dried fruit.
  2. In sauce pan, over medium heat, melt oil, brown rice syrup, almond butter and cinnamon until creamy.  Pour over dry ingredients and quickly mix together.  You may need to use your hands.  Put into a 9 * 13 inch pan.  Pat mix to fill pan. . .press down like you would rice crispy, marshmallow treats.  Refrigerate 4 hours or until you can’t stand it any more and have to eat some!  ( :  Cut into bars and wrap in wax paper, or plastic wrap.  Store in fridge.  YUM!  YUM!