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I can’t call these Fancy Pistachio Apricot Rice Krispie Treats granola bars.   Chewy yes, has granola yes, but just not like all the other “granola bar” recipes.

Only because I just can’t bring myself to call them chewy granola bars, cause they’re not really chewy granola bars.  Chewy yes, has granola yes, but just not like all the other “granola bar” recipes I’ve seen on the web.  They’re just upscaled Rice Krispie Treats.  Stinking delicious, too!!

So, here’s the thought process on these bars…

1 – Dried apricots are crack.  Especially the Great Value dried apricots.  I could eat a whole bag in one sitting which is why I take them to work for a snack.
2 – Sometimes, I bring in extra dark chocolate bars to eat WITH my crackpricots and have this for lunch dessert at work.
3 – We hike, therefore we eat bars for energy.
4 – I wanted to see if I could make these favorite tastes into a treat bar.
5 – I did.  And they were good!  So good I ate 3 bars that day.  NOT ALL AT ONCE!  *hangs head in shame*

So, I examined the Rice Krispie Treat recipe.  Okay, one bag of mallows and 6 cups of the dry stuff.  Um… GOT IT!

I knew I wanted to have oatmeal in the mix, but wasn’t sure about putting just raw oatmeal in this mix.  So, I wandered around on Pinterest and thought, “Okay.  Treat it  like granola, but don’t coat it with anything.  Just….toast it in the oven!”  And I did…and it was good.

So, I combined 1 cup of chopped dried apricots, 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, 1 cup of pistachios, 2 cups of toasted oats, and 1 1/2 cups of puffed rice cereal (aka Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal) in a large mixing bowl.

Then I melted 3 T of ICBINB in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until melted.  Then I added the marshmallows and stirring constantly until they were completely melted.  I stirred in some freshly ground cinnamon and ginger then added the 6 cups of dry ingredients and stirred until combined.  Then I added 1 cup of dark chocolate chips and tried to fold those in so they didn’t melt.  Some did, but many stayed whole.  Then I pressed them into a pan covered in aluminum foil coated with cooking spray and let them cool.

Once they were cool, I removed the foil from the pan and sliced them with my pizza cutter.  S, “Pizza cutter?  Why did you have the pizza cutter out?”  Me, “For the granola bars.”  S *puzzled look* Me, “So I could cut them?  A knife just wasn’t cuttin it!”  S, “OH!  Got it!”  Some days I really wonder if he does…

He had to work that night…overnight.  *sad face*  The kitchen isn’t open overnight, so he wasn’t going to get anything to eat until breakfast the next morning.  I gave him three bars, some chips, water, half a sammy.  He txted me “Those bars are GOOD!”  Reply, “They’re my new crack!  I ate three already!”  Yes, I told him I ate three.  There are no secrets between us.

We took these bars on our last hiking trip.  They were STILL good and a nice,welcome change from the standard pasty, dry protein bars we usually take with us.

I like this method.  It’s the lazy chick’s granola bar recipe.  *snort*  However, I will have to admit that since I used ICINB, they are a tad bit dryer or crumblier than regular chewy granola bars.  I will have to try to remedy that with either maple syrup or some molasses.  I’ll just have to see how it goes.

I think I’m going to experiment with some Mocha Granola but I haven’t eaten it as fast as I thought I would and will probably make some bars today for my trip.  I don’t want to rely on airport food today and I know I will need to pack some easy snacks while at work for the next two weeks.  I will probably use the gingerbread mallows I have in the cupboard since I know S probably won’t eat these.

Okay…I need to stop rambling and get my heffer hiney moving.  I have a CRAP TON of stuff to do today before I head to the airport tomorrow.