Secret Recipe Club: Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

My partner for this month's Secret Recipe Club was Lisa of Cook Lisa Cook.  I knew right away that I wanted to find a grab-and-go breakfast recipe on her blog.  I've been bad about eating breakfast lately, often grabbing something on the way into work, and so I wanted to fix this problem with a make-ahead recipe.  Lisa's blueberry-lemon-poppy seed muffins looked amazing (and I may make them some other time!), but ultimately I decided to go with her granola bars.  They're a favorite of her daughter's, and the flavors sounded fantastic.  I made a few tweaks based on what I had in my pantry, and I reduced the amount by half since there are just two of us.  The bars turned out amazing! I was worried they would be too crumbly, but once they cooled everything held together well.  I think my favorite part is the Rice Krispies...they add a light crunch that really makes the bars feel special.  And, you know, anytime I can eat chocolate chips and call it breakfast, I'm pretty happy! Thank you to Lisa for a really delicious recipe.

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (adapted from Cook Lisa Cook, original recipe here)
Makes 9 granola bars

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup Rice Krispies
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 T melted coconut oil
1 cup assorted "add ins" - I used a mix of pecans, chocolate chips, and dried cranberries
2 T honey
1/4 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8x8 square baking pan with foil and spray with oil.
2. Mix all of the ingredients together and then press firmly into the baking pan.
3. Bake 15-20 minutes, until nicely browned around the edges.
4. Let cool 10 minutes, and then score into bars.  Let cool completely, and then cut into bars.  Peel off the foil and wrap individually.

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