Peanut Butter Granola Bars

I got this recipe from Food Doodles, one of my go to's. I didn't change anything about it. I really liked it how it was.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Adapted from Plum Pie who adapted it from Ina Garten

Makes 12 to 16 bars

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup smooth natural peanut butter(or any other nut butter you would prefer)

1 1/2 cup chopped dried fruit (I used a mix of dried cranberries and dried plums)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or butter a 9×13 pan.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together in a small bowl.  Using a food processor, pulse half the almonds, oats, and coconut mixture. Toss the ground oats mixture with the other half of the oats mixture and spread on a sheet pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the flaxseed.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute and take off the heat. Stir in peanut butter, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the chopped dried fruits and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers or use the back of a spatula and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares.

*I let mine cool for about 3 hours and they were still a little crumbly. I’m not sure if I should have let them sit longer or packed them in tighter. They were still really good; they just weren’t a bar anymore.