Homemade Granola Bars

One of the last times we went to Colorado to visit family, my mother-in-law pulled out some homemade granola bars. They were soft, chewy and delicious,  I decided in need to try and make some. So, I whipped out my hubby's cookbooks to search for the recipe. When I found it I discovered why these things were so good. They are pretty much  just peanut butter Rice Krispy treats disguising themselves as granola bars by adding oatmeal, nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, the kind of stuff you find in granola bars. This is one of those times that nothing went quite right.  I knew I didn't have any raisins or peanuts to put in them. This was not a problem; I figured that I could drizzle some chocolate on them and they would still be great. I started toasting my oatmeal and melting the peanut butter and marshmallow mixture. I pulled out my rice krispies and discovered I didn't have enough. I decided to be clever and throw in some cheerios, which were also just about gone. Between the rice krispies and the cheerios I still didn't have quite enough, so I toasted some extra oatmeal. I also messed with the peanut butter and marshmallow quantities, putting in way too much peanut butter and not quite enough marshmallow. Once I mixed all the oats and cereal in I was afraid it wan't going to set because of all the extra peanut butter, but it turned out just fine and tasted good too. Not quite like my mother-my-law's. So we'll just forget what I did and follow the real recipe without changing it. Word of warning, because they are kind of like rice kripy treats there is a secret to making sure they are soft. When you spread them out in the pan make sure you don't press them in too hard, that's why rice krispy treats get rock hard. Spread them in the pan lightly.

Granola Bars

• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup chunky peanut butter
• 10 oz. marshmallows
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 2 ½ cups rice krispies
• 1 cup raisins or craisins(optional)
• ½ cup unsalted roasted peanuts (optional)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Melt butter, peanut butter, & marshmallows.  Toast oatmeal in oven for 5 – 10 minutes.  Add rice krispies to oatmeal and bake for 5 more minutes.  Take out of oven and add raisins, and dry peanuts. Mix cereal mixture and peanut butter mixture together and gently spread in 9x13 pan or jelly roll pan or cookie sheet, without packing the mixture in too much. Melt chocolate chips, pour melted chocolate in a ziplock, cut off corner and pipe chocolate over the top of the granola mixture.   When chocolate is set and granola  mixture is cool, cut into bars.Wrap each piece separately in waxed paper to store.