Make Your Own Granola Bars

Henry loves making these with me because he gets to use his (washed!) hands to mix all the ingredients together and we don't have to use any noisy appliances.

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
  
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. coconut (optional)
• 1/2 - 3/4 c. mini chocolate chips (or regular chocolate chips, chopped into smaller bits)
• 1/2 c. pecans (optional)
  

Dry ingredients can be altered to your preference - you might try adding flax or sesame seeds, sunflower kernels, peanuts/peanut butter, raisins, dried apple bits and cinnamon, dried cranberries and orange zest. Use whatever you have on hand.

We didn't have mini chips on hand, so we chopped some regular ones; worked great

. . D I R E C T I O N S. .

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, coconut, flour, chocolate chips, nuts and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands (let your kids do this step!) Pat the mixture into the prepared pan; I like to use the back of a greased spatula to press the mixture evenly into the pan.
   
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut without crumbling.

Original recipe can be found at AllRecipes.com.