bars - healthy chewy apple cinnamon granola bars

By tinathorn

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
• 1/4 cup flax seeds
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal
• 1/2 cup dried apples, diced
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Details

Servings 12
Adapted from lovelylittlekitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 by 9 inch baking dish by spraying it with nonstick spray and lining it with parchment paper, leaving excess hanging over the sides for easy removal later.
Spread oats, nuts, and flax seeds out in an even layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake for 5-8 minutes, watching closely for the oats to just start to brown and become fragrant.
In a small sauce pan, bring honey, coconut oil, and brown sugar to a simmer over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar for 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine puffed rice cereal, dried apples, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the oat mixture, and pour in the honey mixture. Stir until everything is well coated.
Press into your prepared 9 by 9 inch square baking dish. Use another piece of parchment paper on top to pack it down and press it into the corners.
Place them in the refrigerator to chill for an hour before removing from the baking dish to cut into bars. Serve at room temperature.