Homemade granola bars

Last weekend I got adventurous and decided to make some granola bars.  Most snack food that you buy premade has preservatives, or lots of refined sugar in it and I am slowly trying to weed those things out of our diet. 

This recipe actually turned out pretty good, both James and I like them.  And I can say that they are the perfect snack to hold me over between meals.  They are nutritious, but not low calorie, so I may try to figure out how to tweak it.  I think they are a little too sweet, so you could probably reduce the amount of honey and they would work just fine.

Emeril's Nutty Granola Bars

3/4 c. honey
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter (I used salted because that's what I had in my fridge)
3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/3 c. slivered almonds (I probably only used half that amount)
coarse salt
1 c. raisins or other dried fruit (I used half a cup of craisins and half a cup of chocolate chips because that's what I had on hand)
1/3 c. creamy almond butter (I used peanut butter)
1/4 c. light-brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325.  In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 c. honey and butter over low.  Cook, stirring, until butter melts, 2 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, and a pinch of salt.  Drizzle honey mixture over oat mixture and stir to combine.  spread mixture evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until golden brown, about 20 mins.  Let cool completely on sheet, 10 minutes.  Return to large bowl and add fruit, stir to combine.

Lightly butter (I used Pam) an 8-in. square baking dish.  In saucepan, combine 1/2 c. honey, peanut butter, and brown sugar over medium.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil and sugar dissolves, 10 minutes.  Drizzle over oat mixture and stir until combined; transfer to baking dish.  With a spatula, firmly press granola into dish.  Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour, then cut into 16 bars.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 5 days.

258 calories per bar