No Fail Granola Bars

For the longest time my boys lived on granola bars. I loved having many different flavors and combinations the grocery store offered. But I  had no idea what they were really eating   I wanted to know every product that was going into that granola bar. And I didn't!  And I soon grew very tired of spending the money on bars that I knew I could make for much a cheaper price. So I decided I would search the net for a recipe that was easy !! It had to be because we were eating a bunch of granola bars.

I found several different recipes, but most of the granola bars never held up. They crumbled.
Then I found one I liked and adapted it to our faimly's liking. I quit buying "boxed" granola bars months ago and make this recipe a couple times a week.

It is very flexible and you can pretty much change the ingredients to whatever you might have in the pantry except for a few staple ingredients.


No fail Granola Bars

Ingredients:

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup flaked coconut

**1 cup dry roasted peanuts(chopped)

**1 cup Tollhouse peanut butter & milk chocolate morsels

**1/2- 1 cup of organic Cheerios

Preheat oven to 300. Grease a 9x13 pan.  In a large bowl mix all ingredients until well blended.  Press flat into the prepared pan.

Bake 20-25 minutes depending on how crunchy you like them.  Lightly brown around the edges gives you a moist chewy bar.  Let cool 5 minutes, cut unto squares then let cool completely before serving.

**Here is where it gets FUN.  Keep the first four ingredients the same....always.  Then just change up the other ingredients to whatever your family likes.  This is when I go to my pantry and play clean out.

I'll give you some ideas of different ways I have made them.  Remember you are keeping the oats, sweet milk, melted butter and coconut the same.  Just change up the rest.

Other ideas:

1 cup almonds

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup cranberries

1 cup walnuts

1 cup pecans

1 cup organic Cheerios

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup flax seed

The ideas are endless.  Use your imagination.  Use things your children like.  Or that you like. 

They are quick and no fail!