Homemade Granola Bars

Okay, that's it.  I will never buy a box of granola bars again.  I finally made homemade granola bars, and I am of course kicking myself for not doing it sooner!  I did a bunch of searching, because I wanted a recipe for chewy bars, and I also wanted to avoid peanut (or other nut) butter.  It seemed like quite a few people had adapted this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, so I thought it sounded like a good place to start.

If you read the post, you'll notice that it's really an outline more than a recipe.  You choose what you want to add, and I plan to do a lot of experimenting now that I got my first batch out of the way.  For my first attempt, I didn't stray too much, although I did replace the corn syrup with a little agave. I did not include the nut butter.  And for the "dried fruits and nuts" section, the boys and I chose:  wheat germ, walnuts, rice krispies, coconut, and dried blueberries.  They. Are. Awesome!

I added less than half a cup of sugar, but I still felt they were pretty sweet.  The next time, I am going to try to eliminate the sugar altogether.  I may use a little more agave to compensate, but it depends on the ingredients.  A lot of the dried fruits are so sweet that they may not need much anyway.  I am also going to try to make a nut-free version.  I really loved the walnuts in this first batch, but I'd like to make some that the boys can bring to school for a snack.

The possibilities are endless, and I am so excited that I finally did this!  Have you ever made homemade granola bars?  What is your favorite kind?