Making a pan of granola bars is something that saves us every week. Whether it’s a family bike ride, or Kyle and Aidan running off to soccer practice or Saturday morning errands requiring breakfast on the go, we love these. Audrey thinks they’re the best treat.

I once had a friend say, “I’m so impressed to have a friend who actually makes her own granola bars!” These are not challenging! They take a little bit of time, and a little bit of clean-up, but no more than a batch of cookies, and no bake time.

Seedy Granola Bars
1 1/2 c. rolled oats (not instant)
1 1/4 c. brown rice crisps
1/4 c. hemp seeds
1/4 c. pepita seeds
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
1/3 c. chopped dried cherries
1/3 c. chopped pecans
2 TBSP chia seeds
1 TBSP sesame seeds
1/2 heaping tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. brown rice syrup
1/2 c. natural peanut or almond butter
2 TBSP pure maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. dark chocolate chips (optional)

Before I jump into the (simple!) directions, I’ve made you a little photo guide. I don’t know about you, but when I encounter a new recipe with too many unfamiliar ingredients, I sometimes pass. If these are all ingredients you already use in your kitchen, great! These will be easy for you to pull together. If not, I want to at least show you what they all look like:

They’re in the same order, from top left, as the ingredient list: rolled oats, brown rice crisps, hemp seeds, pepita seeds, sunflower seeds, flaked coconut, dried cherries, pecans, chia seeds, sesame seeds.

And lest you think you’ll be buying these for a sole purpose, I will give you other excellent options, like smoothies, yogurt bowls and overnight oats.

To make these, simply mix the 10 ingredients shown above with the cinnamon and salt. Melt the brown rice syrup, peanut butter and maple syrup over medium heat in a pan on the stove. Once it’s liquid, remove from heat, add the vanilla and stir. Pour the liquid mixture over the dry, and mix until everything is completely coated – you don’t want any of the dry ingredients to stay dry. If you’re adding chocolate chips, you may want to wait just a few minutes to let the mixture cool before you fold them in.

Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper. Pour the mixture into the pan and press everything down firmly with your hands, then grab a metal spatula and really press down so the top is flat. Put the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes, then pull it out and cut into bars with a pizza cutter. These can be stored in the refrigerator for a week, or the freezer for a month.