I'd been on the hunt for a way to make my own granola bars for a couple of years now.  I kept finding recipes that required lots of ingredients, and too many steps.  Like "Make a double batch of granola, and then use it to make bars with this recipe."

Not. Happening.

I wanted a recipe that was simple. 
Fast and easy would also be good. 
And versatile, because I get bored easily. 
Plus, they had to be delicious, and use stuff that I already have in my kitchen. 
No, I'm not high maintenance.  Why do you ask?

For two years, I searched in vain; all the while paying $2 a box for 8 granola bars, which last approximately 1 day in my house.

Help me Rhonda.

Turns out, Rhonda DID help me! 
My friend, Rhonda, brought a pan of what appeared to be 'healthy rice crispies' to a get together.  They were her homemade granola bars. 
This recipe has brought new meaning to my life. 
It is all the things I wanted and needed in a granola bar recipe.  They are simple to make, and absolutely delicious!  I've been living off of them pretty much exclusively for the past 2 weeks. 

The base recipe is super simple, and you can add any mix ins that you want.  The other really cool thing is that you cam either make chewy -or- crispy granola bars.  Rhonda is my granola bar recipe hero.
Let's whip up a batch, shall we?

Granola Bar Recipe
Can it get any easier than that?  (Note: you can sub any nut butter here.)

Now for the Nummy Stuff...

Stir into 3 1/2 cups of oats.  If you like crispy rice bits, then you can sub a cup of those for some of the oats. 
Now that, my friends is an easy granola bar recipe!

Plus, you can use good quality, healthy ingredients!  Oats are one of the most nutritious grains; the peanut butter provides great protein; and I used raw honey, which has lots of health benefits.  You can also boost the protein content by adding 1/4 c. powdered milk or protein powder to the mix.

Now let's liven it up some...
You can add any yummy stuff that you like in granola bars.  Add up to 1 cup of mix ins.  If you're using a lot of mix ins, You can use between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of each mix in, depending on how much stuff you like in your granola bar...If you just want chocolate chips, then you can use a whole cup!   1/2 cup of an ingredient will be sparse, and 1 cup will be *LOTS*.   I like about a 1/4 cup of chopped peanuts and 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips.

I picked chopped peanuts, dried cranberries, and I wanted to top them with mini chocolate chips. 
Because Rhonda topped hers with mini chocolate chips, and she's my granola bar hero.

Mix into the base recipe...you want it to be pretty sticky/goey.  If it gets too dry, then add some additional pb/honey to the mix.
OK...9x13 pan.  I didn't grease my pan, and I haven't had a problem getting them out.
Smish...wax paper will keep it from sticking to your paws. 
Top with any desired toppings, and smish those down a bit too. 
Cut into bars or squares.  I got 32 small granola bars (1x3 inches) by cutting the pan into 8 long skinny rows, and then dividing those into 4 sections.  For regular sized granola bars (about 1.5x4) , cut six long skinny rows, and then cut in thirds. 

Flying Chips
My mini chips just wanted to roll around and fly all over the floor, but I discovered that if I got the pan warm (I accidentally set it near the oven vent), the chips melt a bit and stick really well, but still look nice.  So, if your chips are jumping ship, just warm the pan in the oven on low for a few minutes, until they look glossy, then let them cool.  They stick really well after this.  See, this pic is before I warmed up the chips...
They will be very chewy, but will set up more overnight.  I keep them in the pan, covered, at room temperature.

If you love crispy bars, you can omit the chocolate chip topping, and bake them at 325 for about 25 minutes, until lightly brown on the bottom. 

  Wrap them in wax paper to send in lunch boxes.

Variations
Another thing I love about this granola bar recipe: endless variations!  I made was a cinnamon and spice by subbing 2 T. of molasses for 2 T of the honey, and then I stirred in 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon and 1/2 t. of ginger (or use pumpkin pie spice).  I topped it with cinnamon chips.  Dried apple would have been yummy in that one too.

Other flavor variations that I want to try-
Sweet and Salty Peanut
Cherry Almond
Cherry Chocolate Chunk
Pina-Colada
Cinnamon Raisin
Toasted Sesame, Chocolate Chunk & Sea Salt
Cranberry, White Chocolate
Maple, Cinnamon, Walnut, Cranberry, Chocolate Chunk.
S'mores
Dried Blueberry & Nutmeg
Hot Chocolate...or Mexican Hot Chocolate (with a touch of cinnamon!) and Mini Dehydrated Marshmallows
Fruitcake
Gummy Bear & Candy Corn. (pretend you didn't see those last two, OK?)

What do you think...are you gonna give these a try?  What kind of good stuff do you like in a granola bar?