Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Earlier this year, I found a great website with a lot of delicious homemade recipes at www.tammysrecipes.com I made homemade pepperoni a couple of times and I made these granola bars for the second time in a week last night. All of us love them, and they are a healthy snack and/or "on the go" breakfast for Pete and Allison on the way to work/school. The original recipe comes from http://onelittlewordsheknew.blogspot.com/2009/05/perfect-granola-bars.html I will be checking her blog later today for more nutritious recipes.

As we sell local honey at our Farmers' Market stand, I will be making recipe cards later today to distribute with this recipe - in my own little way to help promote better food locally versus the commercially bought preservative-filled crap that fills our grocery aisles. If you make these, please leave me a comment. My first batch was made with a combination peanut butter/chocolate chips, and this most recent batch with just regular chocolate chips. Both are delicious!

(Photo courtesy of Tammy's recipes site)

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
4-1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the butter, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, and oats. Stir until well mixed (I use a mixer on low). Mixture will be soft, fluffy, and somewhat crumbly. Stir in chocolate chips.

Press mixture into a lightly-greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 18-22 minutes until edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and place dish on a wire rack to cool.

After bars have cooled for 10 minutes, use a smooth-bottomed measuring cup or glass to press the bars flat (I use an 8-oz jelly jar and roll it over the top in a criss-cross pattern). This will smoosh the bars down. Allow to finish cooling and then cut into the desired size (usually 12 to 18 bars) with a pizza cutter or thin sharp knife.

Store in a sealed container or bag at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze for later use.

Enjoy!