Homemade Granola Bars

I saw this recipe for Homemade Granola Bar's on a friend's blog. They are more time consuming than opening up the packaged granola bars, but I think they taste better. I cut the brown sugar down to 1/2 cup and it was PLENTY for us. I think next time I may even use less or less honey. I used a mixture of nuts and dried fruits and probably used a little more dried fruit than the recipe called for. I cooked them for 25 mins and they turned out great. I also added the wheat germ. Depending on how big you cut the bars they will probably yield about 15-20 bars. I don't know that it is any cheaper to make your own granola bars, but I am sure they are probably healthier since they don't have any preservatives or artificial ingredients. Enjoy!

Homemade Granola Bars

2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup crasins (or other dried fruit)
1/2 cup wheat germ (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and spray with vegetable oil spray.
2. In a large bowl, stir together oats, flour, brown sugar, raisins, wheat germ, salt, cinnamon, and walnuts. In a smaller bowl, thoroughly blend oil, honey, egg, and vanilla; pour into the flour mixture, and mix by hand until the liquid is evenly distributed. Press evenly into the prepared baking pan.
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes into the preheated oven, or until the edges are golden. Cool completely in pan before turning out onto a cutting board and cutting into bars.