Healthy Homemade Granola Bars (they are low calorie too!)

In an age of health fads, when the phase of today seems to have everyone quitting sugar, I am here to say that I am no quitter. Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact. It seems the older I get, the sweeter my tooth becomes. While some may say this my sugar 'addiction', I am much more interested in how I indulge this sweet tooth sensibly as opposed to removing it completely.
At present, one of my favourite work time snacks is a granola bar - easy, calorie controlled, and hits the sweet spot. But with my increasingly greener view on things, I feel a little guilty every time that wrapper goes in the bin. So this week, I decided to have a crack at making my own granola bars, and after scouring many a website for a low calorie version, below is my own attempt. And they turned out pretty tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup rice bubbles/ krispies (I use an organic version from the supermarket)
• 1/2 cup chopped raw almonds
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbs wheat germ (optional)
• 2 tbs coconut oil
• 1/3 cup honey (we use a great local honey)
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 175℃
2. Line a large baking dish (mine was 23cm x 33cm) with baking paper
3. Combine oats, rice bubbles, almonds, dried fruit, coconut, cinnamon and wheat germ in a large bowl
4. Melt together the peanut butter, honey, coconut oil and vanilla until they come together in a smooth consistency. You can use either in a small saucepan on the stove top, or a microwave-safe bowl (30 seconds, give it a stir, then 20 seconds more).
5. Mix the wet and dry ingredients really well, for a couple of minutes really, so that everything is well coated.
6. Put the mixture into the prepared tray and squash it down as hard as you can into a firm layer. I used the back of a spatula with a little coconut oil on it to help push it down.
7. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool before slicing into 24 bars.

I found this version really yummy, and with just a nice little crunch to it. 

Sparks recipe calculator has these figured at about 95 calories per serve (a serve being 1 slice, when cut into 24 pieces). 

Happy snacking!

xx