Homemade Energy Bars

If you are like me you love the benefit of a good energy bar right after a run, but you HATE spending a fortune for one little “granola bar”.  So after some research and creative work in our kitchen, I have created my own homemade energy bars.

I will start off by saying that these things not only taste great, but they also are a bargain at about 20-25 cents each (depending on your coupon skills!).  You can also be creative with making them your own.  Whether you use different types of nuts, add coconut or even add a little chocolate drizzle on top they will be awesome.

My only issue, is that I need a really cool name for these things!  Any ideas????  Check out the recipe and give them a shot.

2 cups of well-chopped nuts (I prefer Almonds and Pecans)
1 1/2 cup oats
1 3/4 cups rice crispies
1 cup Wholesome Sweeteners Cinnamon Agave Syrup (you could use maple syrup or honey instead)
¼ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground coffee beans
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 8x12 pan with spray or butter. 

Toast the nuts in oven.  This will take approximately 10-15 minutes depending on the nuts you use.  Keep an eye on them and stir them around a couple times.  Once they appear toasted or slightly brown pull them out.

Transfer the toasted nuts into a large mixing bowl.  Stir in the oats and rice crispies

In a separate saucepan, over medium heat, stir the Cinnamon Syrup, Brown sugar, salt, coffee grounds and vanilla until it boils (about 4 minutes).  Pour the syrup mixture over the dry nuts/oats mixture in the large mixing bowl and then stir together until it’s evenly coated.

Spread into the prepared pan (you can use same pan you used to toast the nuts).  The mixture will be stiff enough to mold into whatever size and thickness you’d like, so spread to the thickness and size you would like.  The trick is to get the mixture VERY compact and pressed down.  Make sure to press really well into the edges of the pan.  You might need to wet your hands to allow them to work with the sticky bars.

Let bars cool on counter or in fridge for about 30-60 minutes. 
This will make approximately 16-25 bars, depending on the size and thickness you prefer.