Chewy Granola Bars á la Starbucks!

It is no secret that I am a big fan of Granola Bars, I cannot resist them! I have tried and made many different ones, using all kind of ingredients and even when I LOVE them all, this Starbucks Copycat recipe is my absolute favorite. 

Of course you can try to make the recipe a bit healthier by leaving a bit of sugar out or replacing the nuts with fresh fruit; the result will still be very tasty but you won't get that "this really taste like the ones at Starbucks" feeling! :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats 
• 2 cups crispy rice cereal 
• 1 cup dried apricot, chopped 
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped 
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds 
• 1/2 cup pecan halves, chopped 
• 1/2 cup golden raisin 
• 1/4 cup sunflower seed 
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

SYRUP MIXTURE:

• 1/5 cup brown sugar 
• 1/2 cup corn syrup or 1/2 cup honey *
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1/2 cup peanut butter 

Directions:

1. Prepare a square pan with non-stick spray (or line with parchment paper). 
2. In a large mixing bowl, toss all dry ingredients. Feel free to substitute your preferred nuts or dried fruit. 
3. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for a couple of minutes. This boiling of the sugars is what keeps the bars together once they have cooled off.
4. After boiling, turn off heat; add vanilla and peanut butter. Pour this hot mixture over the dry ingredients as soon as possible and toss to combine. 
5. Pour warm mixture into prepared pan. Wet your fingers and press the mixture down into the pan to compress the bars so they will slice evenly. 
6. Bake for 10 minutes at 170 C and allow it to cool.
7. When cool, use a sharp knife to cut into 18 bars (1 long lengthwise cut and 9 cuts across). 
8. Enjoy with a hot cup of Starbucks coffee for an authentic experience! 

* You can substitute the Corn Syrup for maple or pancake syrup, the taste will still be amazing but Corn Syrup is a bit better when it comes to holding the bars together, but if you don't mind the crumbliness then maple syrup adds a really nice smokey flavor to them! 

This recipe works pretty good as a no-bake bars too, so you can just skip the baking and allow them to settle and cool of before cutting them.