Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

My plans this past weekend were completely shot because I spent Friday and Saturday taking care of my sick little girl.  By Sunday afternoon, she was feeling better and we decided to continue on with our plans to go to my brother-in-law's house to sow seed for the garden this year.  Unfortunately, after all was said and done, I wasn't afforded the time to plan out my meals for the week, so our weekend family grocery run never happened.  Out of bagels, out of cereal, out of eggs, and nearly out of bread, I wanted to make an easy grab-and-go breakfast option for my husband before work, so I decided on granola bars.  I have tried many different granola bar recipes before but I have always wanted to try Smitten Kitchen's version.  I'm glad that I did... with a few changes, that is.  They were easy to make, chewy and absolutely delicious!  

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 c quick cooking oats 
• 1/3 c oat bran 
• 1/4 c flax seed 
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 
• 1 c pecans, chopped 
• 1 c dried fruit (cranberries, apricot, raisins, etc.) 
• 1/2 c brown sugar (1/4 c if you prefer a less sweet granola bar) 
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 6 tbsp butter, melted 
• 1/4 c honey
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/3 c creamy peanut butter 
• 1 tbsp milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.  Lightly grease the parchment paper.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  In a separate large bowl, stir together all of the wet ingredients.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring well to combine.  Pour the granola mixture into the prepared dish, pressing down with a spatula to make an even layer.

Bake until the edges begin to brown, about 35 minutes.  Allow the granola to cool completely in the baking dish.  Pick up the granola by removing the parchment paper underneath.  Place the bars in the fridge to allow them to set.

Cut into bars and serve room temperature.

Enjoy!