Chewy Granola Bars

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oat flour (finely grind 1/3 cup oats in a food processor or blender, if you don’t have oat flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup dried fruit (cranberries, cherries - your choice)
2 cups chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds - I use them all!)
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter such as almond butter - this ingredient is optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons melted coconut oil (it is a solid at room temperature)
2 tablespoons of melted butter
1/2 cup honey,
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon molasses (this is optional, it provides essential minerals)

Directions:
Spray bottom of pan with a non stick spray.
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Melt the coconut oil, butter, vanilla, honey, maple syrup and molasses to a liquid. Once melted, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour the mixture into pan spreading evenly. in an 8 x10 pan
Bake 30 minutes or until the edges of the pan are brown. Let the granola bars cool completely. Then slice them into individual bars and wrap in saran wrap for easy snacks.
Feel free to come up with your own favorite flavors by mixing up nuts, fruit and chocolate.

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