Granola Bars

 These are great for a year round snack.  These pull perfectly from the freezer and that is where I keep them when they are not being eaten.   Going for a winter ski tour, ice skate, snowshoe, cross country ski, take these with you and enjoy.  but enough of that because it is SUMMER!!!    They are great using up dry items in the kitchen.   Only have a little of everything, use it!!!  I would like to thank the fabulous Tara for the original recipe, I have tweaked it for my liking and you can do the same!

Pre-heat oven to 350F

The Crust

2/3 cup of butter (I prefer this to be "cold" soft rather than "warm" soft and that is to the touch.  You want the butter to be soft but cool to the touch on your fingers when you put this together)
1 Cup of Rolled Oats
1 1/3 cup of Spelt Flour  (you can use regular flour)
1/4 ground flax seed  (substitute wheat germ, bran, ground almond)

The Topping

3 Large Eggs, whisked.
1/2 Maple Syrup/ Honey  (these are more natural sugars)
1 cup of seeds or nuts of your choice.(use ingredients up and as many different kinds as you like there are no rules here.)
1 cup Coconut
1 cup Dried Fruit (of your choice)
1 cup of chocolate chips, carob chips (or leave this out and add more of the dried fruit or nuts and seeds.  One of my favorite is sesame seeds, when they are toasted the taste is outta sight!!!)

I have left out sugar and wheat in this recipe.  This is very healthy and my preference.

So now that you have got all of your ingredients together in two separate bowls, lets put it all together.

Using your fingers mix everything in the crust bowl together.   Squish it through your fingers, mix it up until everything is together.   Then press this into a greased or parchment lined 9 x 13" pan.   Or use what ever you have that you think will work.  Once it has been evenly pressed throughout the pan, put it in the oven!   Bake for about 15 minutes. 

Mix the rest of the ingredients in your other bowl.  It is better to whisk the eggs and honey or maple syrup together before you add the dry ingredients but if you don't, NO WORRIES just mix this bowl a little longer.

Take the crust out of the oven and pour the wet mixture over the crust, spread it carefully and evenly over the crust and put it back into the oven, immediately.  It will take another 25 minutes in the oven.

Take it out, score the bars and let them cool.  Enjoy, freeze the rest and give them to your friends, they will love them as much as you will.