Peanut Butter Protein Bar

I tried a new recipe tonight.  Granola bars.   I have never made them before but I've been trying to find a good tasting protein bar that didn't have a ton of crap in it.  So... I came up with this.

The great thing about these bars is that Emily loves them too.  They're a yummy combo of sweet and chocolate.  Really good!

Skinny Betsy's Peanut Butter Protein Bar

Makes 12 bars.
Each bar has approx. 10-11g of protein.

4 cups granola/rolled oats

4 scoops vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
3/4-1 cup honey

3/4-1 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup dried, diced apples

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Using non-stick spray, spray a 9x13 baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, combine the protein powder, rolled oats and chopped peanuts until well mixed.  
4. Add the honey and stir together with a wooden spoon until all the mixture is "wet" with honey.  You may need to add a tablespoon or so more at a time until it's all mixed in.  
5. In a small sauce pan, melt the peanut butter and add it to the mixture.  Use the spoon to incorporate, add more peanut butter if you feel it needs it.  There are really no rules here.  
6. Add the chocolate chips and apples and mix in.  You might need to get your hands in there and really incorporate it all together.  
7. Press the granola into the baking dish.  Use a piece of wax paper to press the granola down, it's sticky.  
8. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Do not over bake or the edges will get crispy... unless you like crispy, then bake up to 25 minutes. 
9. Let cool and cut into 12 squares.  
10. Store in an air tight container or zip loc bags for easy snacking! 

Note:  You can sub anything for the chocolate chips and apples... coconut, nuts, white chocolate, berries, banana chips... the possibilities are endless.

You could also pop these in the fridge instead of baking for about an hour and they'd be yummy and chewy instead of solid like these when baked.