My son loves granola bars. Really, really loves them. He calls them special treats which rates right there with birthday cake and lollipops.

When I was visiting a really good friend, she made her own granola bars. As I helped watched her make them, I was amazed at how simple they were to make. I don’t know why I never considered making them myself.

As I searched for recipes online I found thousands of different variations. That’s because anything goes with granola bars: dried fruit, chocolate, nuts, etc. I decided to stick to a basic recipe.

The most difficult thing that I found was trying to get them to stick together. I learned that the more humidity you have, the less likely they are to stick together. 🙁 I also quickly learned, that you can’t cut back on the honey, because then they really don’t stick together. It still tastes good, but then it is just granola. If you do have humidity where you live, place the granola bars in the refrigerator. It helps a lot!

Here is what you need:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 4 cups Quick Oats (not rolled oats)
• 2 cups crispy rice cereal

Here is how you do it:

Over medium heat in a saucepan, melt butter and stir in honey, brown sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla. Once it is boiling, simmer for 3-5 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved. In a large bowl, mix together oats and rice cereal. Pour hot mixture over the oats and rice cereal until the whole mixture is moist. Then place the mixture into a 13 x 9 cooking sheet. Press the mixture down and spread evenly. Once they cool, they are ready to serve. I like to cut mine into 1/2 size granola bars. They are easier for little hands to handle. Enjoy!

Let me know how yours turns out!