Gluten Free "granola Bars

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy) or almond butter (if you want to make almond granola bars)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free oats
• 2 cups almonds
• 1 cup dried cherries

Directions

1. 1

   Butter an 8 X 10 inch pan generously OR line it with parchment paper than also comes up the sides of the pan about 1/2 of an inch.

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 400°F.

3. 3

   Toast your nuts/seeds in the oven for a few minutes until slightly golden. While you are doing this, make your “granola glue” or peanut butter sauce.

4. 4

   To make the “granola glue” or peanut butter sauce, combine honey and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Heat, while stirring, until the brown sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to a simmer and simmer for 1-2 minutes until evenly foamy/bubbly on top. Remove from the heat. Add one teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir (it will steam a bit). Add peanut butter and stir briskly until lumps are gone and the consistency is uniform.

5. 5

   Mix granola base (oats or cereal) with your toasted nuts/seeds. Pour peanut butter mixture over the top and stir until evenly distributed. Add dried fruit and stir again to distribute.

6. 6

   Pour mixture into pan (on to parchment paper). Spread evenly and then press down in to the bottom of the pan. Press the granola together firmly.

7. 7

   Bake for 20 minutes at 350°F.

8. 8

   Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely (it will firm up as it cools) before cutting.

9. 9

   Cut into bars (1″ wide and 4″ long). Wrap bars in cling wrap or wax paper and store in a Ziploc bag or airtight container on the counter until consumed. (I’ve store mine up to 10 days, but it depends on the weather.) These can be refrigerated; however, I haven’t tried freezing them yet.