Thick, Chewy Granola Bars

These are the best granola bars in the world. Yes. I am making that broad of a claim. These are the best granola bars I have ever, ever eaten. And trust me- I've eaten my fair share of granola bars.

Let's get into it, shall we? These are soft yet firm. I'm not sure how, but they are. The edges bake up crisp. The possibilities of mix ins are endless. They are quite healthy and you can feel good about eating them. They are pretty. They are the best granola bars ever.

What I really love about this recipe is that you can keep the base ingredients the same but change out your sweetener, change your mix ins, and next thing you know you have a whole new recipe. I think the only thing that I didn't love about these is that I gave half of them to my dad- I wish I kept them all! We went through them so quickly that I am already thinking about the next batch I'm going to make.

Just a little tip- I took my nuts and put them in the food processor to pulse them down to little bits. I kept the fruit whole but I chopped up the nuts and I really like how the small pieces of nuts spread throughout. If you don't have a food processor you could always put them in a zipper bag and roll them with a rolling pin. It's worth the extra effort.

Source: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar, depending on how sweet you want them
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 to 3 cups dried fruits and nuts- *List of suggestions below (I used 1 cup mixed craisins/raisins, and 1 cup cashews/almonds/pumpkin seeds -altogether, not each- pulsed small)
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup (I used honey)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan with nonstick spray.

Over low heat melt the butter. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter/peanut butter mix, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly. 

Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. 

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. They’ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool.

Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. Cut with a serrated knife.

*Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, raisins, peanut butter chips, cashews, almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried apples or even chocolate chips.