Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

This granola bar recipe is gooey and good.  The chocolate chips and peanut butter melt in your mouth and the oats are toasted to perfection.  This recipe has 4 cups of whole oats and a 1/2 cup of flax seeds to keep you and your family going. This recipe comes from the book The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather.  I have added chocolate chips and deleted the raisons from this recipe.  Please feel free to add or delete the chocolate chips.  I also toasted my oats longer than Rebecca's recipe called for and added an additional 1/4 cup of flaxseed. Flaxseed is rich in Omega 3-fatty acids and is considered a healthy fat.

Yields:  16 bars
Pre-Heat Oven:  350 degrees
Grease a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray

Syrup:
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup honey
1/3 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup water

1.  Place the sugar, honey, maple syrup and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  When the syrup comes to a boil stir the syrup and reduce the heat. Simmer the syrup for 8-10 minutes or until it reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer or the soft ball stage.

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2.  Stir in the butter, peanut butter, vanilla and salt to the syrup mixture.  Allow the syrup to cool.

Granola:
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup almonds, sliced
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

3.  In a large bowl mix the oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and coconut together.  Place the mixture on 2 cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Stir the granola after 10 minutes. Then return the granola to the oven for the last 10 minutes or until the oats are browned.  

1/2 cup ground golden flax seeds
1 cup raisons, cranberries or chocolate chips

4.  Place the chocolate chips, flax seeds, and granola in a bowl and mix.  Then add the syrup to the granola and mix together.  Pour the granola into a 9 x 13 inch greased pan.  Press the granola down into the pan.  Allow to granola to rest for 30 minutes before you cut them into bars.