Peanut Butter Granola Bars

I don't know about you but I have tried so many Granola Bar recipes with a 100% fail rate. Every recipe I have made has ultimately just crumbled right before my eyes. So, I abandoned all of my hope and decided to give my Granola Bar dream one last try. I should have bypassed all of the other recipes and gone straight to the queen of everything, Martha Stewart. Finally, a Granola Bar that holds up to it's name, an actual bar! These Granola Bars are perfect, exactly what I've been looking for all along. A little crunchy and a little chewy. Not too sweet and full of goodness. But most importantly, they actually worked.

You can make these bars as healthy or as naughty as you like. For a healthier bar, add flax seeds, sesame seeds or sunflower seeds. For a naughty version, add chocolate chips, mini M&M's or butterscotch chips. The choice is yours and the possibilties are endless!

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart:
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries (can substitute raisins or any other chopped dried fruit)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine oats, cranberries and almonds. In a saucepan, combine peanut butter, vegetable oil, brown sugar and water. Heat over low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Whisk the egg white into the peanut butter mixture. Stir the peanut butter mixture into the oats mixture and combine thoroughly. Line an 8" baking pan with parchment paper. Place the oat mixture in the pan, pat down and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the oven for about 30 mintues or until the top has hardened. If you prefer a crispier bar, bake another 10-15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, remove the bars from the pan by lifting the parchment paper and allow to cool thoroughly on a rack. Slice into bars with a serrated knife. Store the bars in an airtight container.