Sarah's Best Homemade Granola Bars

Let's talk.
Granola bars.
They look yummy and they taste good too (hopefully!).
Sadly, they are often full of processed ingredients and refined sugars...since when is it okay to add in high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils?!! NEVER!
Naughty, naughty, Quaker Chewy Granola Bars. They should know better.
And we should know better than to put that nasty stuff in our bodies. Ew! Ack! Guck!
Lucky for you, these granola bars are completely wholesome and 100% delicious.
Double whammy.

Homemade Granola Bars

• 2 cups oats (I like the combo of 1 cup quick oats and 1 cup whole oats)
• 2 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal
• 1/2 cup raisins 
• 1 tablespoon flax seed (optional)
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 cup peanut butter (non-hydrogenated, all natural kind)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, mix together rice cereal, oats, and raisins. 

In a smaller bowl, stir together honey and peanut butter, and heat in microwave until warm and slightly bubbly. Remove bowl from microwave and stir in vanilla, salt, and cinnamon.

Pour peanut butter mixture over dry cereal mixture. Mix well. Pour this granola mess into a sprayed 9x13 pan. Squash the granola down with your hands, as hard as you can.

Put this pan into the freezer and cool for about 30-45 minutes. Remove from freezer and cut granola into squares. Transfer to ziploc baggies and store in the freezer. By keeping them in the freezer, they will stay together easier and last longer.