Chewy Granola Bars

Have you ever been frustrated at how so many homemade granola bars need to be eaten as cereal instead of bars? They are dry and crumbly,and never fail to make a mess when you try to eat them gracefully. At horse shows, you might as well feed them to your mount so you don't have to wear the crumbs on your shirt! 

So far, this is the best granola bar recipe I have found. They are so chewy and gooey...no need to stress over the crumbles. Best of all, they are chock full of protein-peanut butter, sunflower nuts, and wheat germ, so you can rest assured that you aren't eating a glorified cookie. Have I convinced you to try this recipe?

 First off, like many bar recipes, you want to mix your wet ingredients. I like to melt my butter in a microwave-safe bowl, then throw the sugar, corn syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla on top of it. Mix it well-everyone wants a fair portion of the peanut butter. 



This is where you get to add the good-for-you stuff: oatmeal, wheat germ, sunflower nuts, wheat germ, raisins, sesame seeds, and dark chocolate. Don't you just love that dark chocolate is good for you? 



Okay, mix everything together. Since there is no leavening agent, there is no danger of over mixing. Again, you are ensuring that everyone gets a fair share of the good stuff. Distribute the chocolate as well-no hoarding. 


Press the mixture into a pan. Don't worry about greasing it-there is enough butter in the recipe you don't need extra grease. Many people loyally follow the recipe and grease cookie sheets and pans when there is no need. Most cookie (drop and bar) recipes have enough fat to keep them from sticking without assistance. In fact, if you grease a cookie sheet before baking, your cookies will often have 'fry lines' where the excess oil was.


After baking, allow the bars to cool completely before slicing. Serve with a glass of milk if desired! 

Chewy Granola Bars

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. light corn syrup

2/3 c. peanut butter

2 t. vanilla

3 c. quick-cooking oats

1/2 c. raisins

1/2 c. sunflower nuts

6 T. wheat germ

2 T. sesame seeds

1 c. dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350  F. Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Press in 9x13 baking pan. Bake for 15 min. Allow to cool before slicing. Makes 24 bars.