Chewy Granola Bars

I've had Seriously Delish by Jessica Merchant for a couple months before I finally tried a recipe. Many of my favorite delicious desserts come from her blog How Sweet It Is, which is why I wanted her book. I made these granola bars with a few modifications from her recipe based on ingredients on hand.

These granola bars are tasty, but they cannot compete with my standard chewy granola bar. They simply aren't truly chewy. They remind me of a Cooking Light peanut butter granola recipe, which of course I can't find on my blog to link.

Short story: glad I made these, but they won't likely become part of our regular rotation.

Chewy Granola Bars
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup flaxseed, ground
3 Tbsp. sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8 x 8 pan with wax paper, and spray with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine oats, flaxseed, brown sugar, chia seeds, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the coconut oil, peanut butter and honey until melted and smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Combine with dry ingredients until evenly mixed.

Press mixture into prepared pan, smoothing with a spoon. Bake until bars are slightly browned on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Cut into desired shapes/sizes. Makes 9 to 12 bars.