Our love filled life: Homemade Granola Bars

For years I've been trying to find "the right" granola bars - they are either too sweet or too dull in flavor. I found a recipe for Homemade Granola Bars so I thought I would give them a shot...and they are right on the money! If you're looking for "the perfect" granola bars that don't taste like a sugar loaded chocolate bar - then you should definitely try these out! This is a healthy snack that's a perfect pick-me-up during a school day, work, or after a workout at the gym.

The beauty about making them yourself is YOU CONTROL THE INGREDIENTS! Leaving out excess fat, sugars and additives without sacrificing delicious flavor! If you have kids...you should for sure make these! Well, even if you don't, you should make 'em anyways! :)

These granola bars are bound together by sweet wild country clover honey, our favorite mixed nuts, dried fruit, a tiny sprinkle of dark chocolate, and the few drops of vanilla make these chewy delights just that much better. You can use whatever you have on hand really...like rice crispy cereal, cranberries, raisins, cherries, blueberries, apricots, grated coconut, peanut butter, cocoa powder, applesauce? There really is no way you can go wrong with ingredients in these.

They so so unbelievably simple and delicious - I don't think I'll be buying granola bars from the grocery store again.

If this looks like something you would enjoy, here is what you'll need to get started:

2 cups of Rolled Oats
1/2 cup of Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/3 cup of Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup of Honey
1/4 cup of Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp of Cinnamon
1/2 tsp of Vanilla Extract
1/8 tsp of Salt
2 cups of mixed nuts and dried fruit
A sprinkle of dark chocolate chips (totally optional)

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, line a 8/9 square baking pan with parchment paper and spray with non stick spray.

**When you are lining your pan with parchment paper, make sure it goes over the side edges so it will be easier to lift your granola bars out when they are cooled completely.**

2. In a large bowl combine the oats, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, flour, mixed nuts, and fruit. Set aside.

3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook together the butter, honey, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and turn the heat off. Add the vanilla and mix it in.