Going Green the Delicious Way: Homemade Granola Bars

I love granola bars. Like really love them. Like I can go out and buy a mega box of 24 granola bars and they could be gone within a week. My husband is not a fan of granola bars so that mega box I get, yea I finish it off myself… I can’t help it. It’s a quick and easy snack with substance that can fill you up (although apparently not me, but i’m still eating for 2 … yea, that’s a good excuse). However, store bought granola bars are not so great for the environment. Each bar is individually wrapped in non-recyclable packaging. My granola bar obsession has probably filled 3 landfills by now (slight exaggeration). But worry not, I have found the solution! After many not so successful granola bar recipe attempts, I have found the ultimate recipe that can be customized any way your heart desires! And it’s a pretty healthy recipe too. It requires no baking and only takes 15 minutes to prepare. This recipe is so delicious that even my husband, the granola bar disliker, enjoys them. Homemade granola bars are also a quick and healthy school snack for the kiddos and perfect for those litter free lunch days (or everyday!). Just invest in some reusable containers and toss them in their lunches. Probably the best thing about these granola bars is that they aren’t crumbly. They stay together like the store bought ones.

These are a few of the tasty treats I enjoy in my granola bars.

But enough babbling already; let’s get down to business.

Yummy Granola Bars

6 tbsp butter
1/3 cup sugar (the least processed sugar you can find!)
1/2 cup honey
3 cups of granola (or large flake oats)
1 1/2 cups rice krispies
+ 1/2 cup of what ever extras you would like (raisins, unsweetened coconut, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, pretzels, chopped pecans…) * For a good consistency, add at least 3 different extras*

1. Melt butter, sugar and honey in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Give it a stir a couple times. Once boiling (only takes about 5 minutes), reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer about 2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

2. Add granola, rice krispies, and the 3 extra ingredients you would like to the saucepan. Mix until everything is coated.

3. Pour the deliciousness into a 9×13 pan (no need to grease it) and flatten it out. I find that the bottom of a measuring cup or back of a big spoon works well to flatten if you dont want to get your hands gooey.

4. Cover and put in the fridge for about 20 minutes or until you can no longer wait to sample. Cut into whatever shape you would like and enjoy! If you find they become a little crumbly, pop them in the fridge again for 15 minutes or so. They’ll firm right up.

Feel free to experiment with different sweeteners and flavours as well like maple syrup or peanut butter or whatever else you can think of. Then come back and share the deliciousness you created. I would love to hear!