Peanut Butter Snack Bars

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups oats, toasted
• 1 cup crisp rice cereal
• 1 cup corn flakes, lightly crushed
• 1/4 cup wheat germ, toasted
• 1/4 cup flax seed, toasted
• 3/4 cup smoked almonds, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup honey or 1/2 cup light karo syrup
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar or 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment, sprayed with no-stick spray.
• 2 toast oats, wheat germ, & flax seed in a dry non stick skillet, shaking/stirring frequently until lightly golden & fragrant.
• 3 in a large bowl, combine oats through salt, stir well.
• 4 evenly sprinkle chopped chocolate to cover botton of prepared pan.
• 5 in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine honey through cinnamon. stir and cook until mixture just begins to bubble, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• 6 remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
• 7 pour peanut butter mixture over oatmeal mixture and stir gently with a spatula until well combined. transfer to prepared pan, cover with parchment paper and press firmly into pan.
• 8 allow to cool completely (will cool faster in the refrigerator).
• 9 use parchment to lift from pan to a cutting board.
• 10 cut into 24 bars, large knife or a large pizza cutter work well.