Natural Granola Bars with Oats, Seeds, and Nuts

Over the weekend, I bought a big container of nuts, seeds, and raisins to add to my greek yogurt bowls.  Wasn't as great as I thought.. the sunflower seeds and raisins didn't go very well with the taste of the yogurt.  So, I was left with this huge container of nuts and seeds and nothing to eat it with {eating it plain is not something I enjoy} I decided to make some granola bars with it and it ended up being perfect!  I usually do not add enough ingredients to my granola bars so they turn out too plain or dry.  This recipe makes 16 chewy granola bars that are nutritious and delicious! Next time I will be adding chocolate chips!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almonds, chopped

1/2 cup mixed nuts, raisins, seeds*

1/4 cup pb2 - powdered peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups plain rolled oats

3 tbsp butter

*The mix I used included: raisins, sunflower seeds, almonds, pepitas, & cashews

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a deep baking pan with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and sides.

Add dry oats and chopped almonds to the pan.  Bake for 5 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and mix gently.  Place the pan back in the oven for an additional 4 to 5 minutes.  

Add honey, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla to a pot and stir over medium-low heat until completely mixed.  Remove from heat and set aside.  

Remove pan from oven and pour oats and almonds into a large mixing bowl.  Add in raisins, seeds, and extra nuts and mix.  Pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until there are no dry spots.  

Pour mixture back into pan with aluminum foil and press firmly into the pan.  A trick here is to lightly wet your fingers to spread the bar throughout the pan without it sticking.  When it is all packed in, cover it with another piece of foil and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

When ready, slice the bar into 12-16 slices depending on your choice of size.  These can be kept in refrigerator for about one week.

Enjoy!