Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

 
Move over Fiber One Chewy Oats and Chocolate Bars!!

Yes, I admit, we all love Fiber One Bars, but not because of the extra fiber. They just taste sooo good. Really, how can you go wrong with oats and chocolate?

Well, last year I found this Chewy Granola Bar recipe on Allrecipes and decided to give it a try. The bars looked like they would probably taste similar to Fiber One Bars. I was wrong....

They were way better!! Not only did they taste better, but they were homemade, without all the preservatives and whatever else the boxed ones have in them.

I had not made these bars in a while, so I decided to make them this week. However, I tweaked a few of the ingredients to make the bars a little more healthy. Here's my version:

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup raw sugar (I used Turbinado)
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, sugar and butter. 
3. In a small bowl combine honey and vanilla, then stir into the oats mixture.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Press mixture into the prepared pan. 
6. Bake at 325 degrees for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. 
7. Let cool for 10 minutes, then cut into bars. 
8. Once bars cool completely remove them from the pan and store in an airtight container.

Yield : 18 bars

I love the versatility of granola bars. You can switch out the chocolate chips for raisins or dried cranberries, or add nuts to the mixture for a different flavor.

Another bonus to homemade granola bars is they are much more filling than the ones that come out of the box.

What flavors would you use to make your granola bars?