Granola Bars

Recently I have been making my own granola bars instead of buying them in the store... and let me tell you, there is no comparison. Once you have homemade granola bars, you will never go back. Now, Quaker granola bars taste like cardboard and fake to me. I got this recipe from my Aunt Crystal and I like it so much because you can add any extra ingredients according to your own personal taste. After I mix the base I divide it into 3 and keep one plain, one with coconut flakes and chocolate chips and one with craisens. After baking, I cut them up and individually wrap them and freeze them....then I have them to go with my lunches at school. Yum!

You can see my 3 sections here...I pressed them all into the same pan and then cut them apart

Granola Bars

4 cups oatmeal

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (I don't use)

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 cups rice krispies

Stir all ingredients together and press into a greased 9x13 inch pan. (Press it in hard or they will fall apart when you cut them) Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes 18 servings.
*Note - I have trouble keeping the granola bars together once I cut them. I have tried increasing the peanut butter and honey to make them stickier, I have tried increasing the baking time, but no matter what I seem to do, they still tend to fall apart. I am still trying to figure it out, but they are definitely crumbly.