Granola Bars

Sometime around September I found myself with a cupboard full of graham crackers. Not sure how that happened since we aren't a graham cracker family....

Anyway, I put a call out for things to make using them and someone mentioned granola bars. I found this wonderful recipe from Laura Lea Balanced. I eat it so regularly that now I'm intentionally buying graham crackers and I always make a double recipe. I've made the recipe my own by switching up some ingredient, so I'll post that below, but check out the link above if you want her original recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups oats

• 1 cup chopped almonds

• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

• 1 package (9 sheets) graham crackers

• 2 TBSP chia seeds

• 1 TBSP cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil

• 1/2 cup honey (if you sub maple syrup the bars don't hold together--but it is just as tasty!)

• 2/3 peanut butter (crunchy or smooth!)

• 1 TBSP vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F

2. Add oats, almonds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds to a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Stir halfway through. Set aside to cool.

3. While baking, blend/crush graham crackers until they are a fine flour consistencey.

4. Add graham crackers, chia seeds, cinnamon and sea salt into a mixing bowl

5. Melt coconut oil.

6. Mix together coconut oil, honey, PB and vanilla

7. Pour wet mixture into graham cracker mixture and combine ingredents.

8. Add in oats and nuts. Mix until combined.

9. Line a pan with parchment paper or wax paper (this part is very important if you want them to become bars!)

10. Put mixture onto the pan and pat down until it is an even layer. Make sure it press together (you can add another sheet of parchment paper on top to help push together the mixture. I use the back of a spatula)

11. Toss into the fridge for at least 4 hours.

12. Using the parchment paper, pick up the bars and cut. Enjoy!

13. Store in the fridge.