Granola Bars

Forgot to buy granola bars today... so decided to bake some!!  Went on a search for a granola bar and stopped when I saw these granola bars - I had all the ingredients!!!  Yeah!!









Here's the recipe!


Cherries & Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars (my changes in red)


•canola oil cooking spray
•1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
•2 Tbsp brown rice syrup (alternately, you could use the equivalent amount of honey, agave nectar, or pure maple syrup) (used maple syrup)
•1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter, at room temperature (used regular)
•1 tsp vanilla extract
•1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
•1 cup puffed brown rice cereal (used Chocolate Rice Krispies)
•1/4 tsp salt
•1/2 cup unsweetened & unsulfured dried cherries (used dried cranberries)
•1/2 cup grain-sweetened chocolate chips

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.Line an 8 x 8 inch square baking pan (or a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan for thicker bars) with parchment paper so the sides hang over the edge of the pan. Lightly coat with canola oil cooking spray; set aside.
3.In a medium bowl, combine the applesauce, liquid sweetener of your choice, peanut butter, and vanilla extract; stir until the mixture is completely homogenous.
4.Fold in the rolled oats, puffed rice cereal, salt, dried cherries, and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into the prepared pan, spreading into an even layer, and bake until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes (add a few additional minutes of baking time if you’re using a loaf pan).
5.Allow to cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then remove by picking up the sides of the parchment paper. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into bars.

They are very tasty - but some of them kinda fell apart - maybe because I didn't wait long enough to cut them... ;)