Tasty Granola Bars!

          Here is a tasty granola bar recipe! I found this recipe online, tweaked it a bit, and now I don't want to eat store bought granola bars again. I have decreased the sugar it originally called for, use wheat flour instead of white, and added some more ingredients to make it more tasty!
          This recipe is great because you can change it based one what you  like and what you have in the kitchen. For example, you can add nuts and chocolate if you want, or even melt chocolate and drizzle it over the bars.

Ingredients:
   2 cups oats
   1/2 cup packed brown sugar
   1/2 cup wheat germ
   1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
   1 cup wheat flour
   1 heaping cup raisins and or craisins
   1/2 teaspoon salt
   1/2 cup honey
   1 egg
   1/2 cup canola oil
   2 teaspoons vanilla (I always add a little extra)
   2 tablespoons flax seed
   1/2 cup applesauce (this makes it chewy)
      Optional ingredients we like to add:
   sunflower seeds (or other nuts)
   coconut
   chocolate chips
 
   Preheat the oven to 350. Generously grease a 9x13 baking pan.
   In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the rest of the ingredients and mix with your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the pan. I usually just cover 3/4 of the pan, otherwise I find the granola bars to be too thin.
   Bake for 30 - 35 minutes in the preheated oven until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes then cut while still warm.

          *Great tip! When you are measuring out honey for recipes, measure out the oil in the same cup if the recipe calls for oil (or coat the cup with oil). This way the honey slips right out and you have less of a mess!