Starbucks Chewy Fruit and Nut Bars

In fall 2008, Starbucks added several "healthy" breakfast items to their bakery case. My husband commented to me, "Look, they have a granola bar that looks exactly like the ones you make!" I checked their list of ingredients and then made modifications to my Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars #236509, so that they are as close to the Starbucks version as possible. Take them to breakfast meetings at work, when you need something MORE than a donut, muffin or bagel.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 18

Ingredients

• 2  cups rolled oats
• 2  cups  crispy rice cereal (see note below)
• 1  cup  dried apricot, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup  sliced almonds
• 1⁄2 cup pecan halves, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup golden raisin
• 1⁄4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon

• SYRUP MIXTURE

• 1⁄4 cup brown sugar
• 1⁄2 cup corn syrup or 1⁄2 cup honey
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄2 cup peanut butter

Directions

1. Ingredient note: look in your health food aisle for a healthy alternative to Rice Krispies. The brand I found is made by Enviro-Kidz and uses BROWN rice.
2. Prepare 9x13 pan with non-stick spray (or line with parchment paper).
3. In a large mixing bowl, toss all dry ingredients. Feel free to substitute your preferred nut or dried fruit.
4. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and allow to boil one minute. (Note: boiling the sugars is what helps the bars become firm and not sticky, so this step is important).
5. After boiling, turn off heat; add vanilla and peanut butter. QUICKLY pour this hot mixture over the dry ingredients and toss to combine.
6. Pour warm mixture into prepared pan. Wet your fingers and press the mixture down into the pan to compress the bars so they will slice evenly.
7. When cool, use a sharp knife to cut into 18 bars (1 long lengthwise cut and 9 cuts across). Enjoy with a hot cup of Starbucks coffee for an authentic experience!
8. Note: Starbucks does not list corn syrup in their ingredients, but the sweetener in their list is not readily available. I tried using Maple Syrup, but the bars were very crumbly and would not stay together in bars. Therefore, I found that Corn Syrup is the best ingredient that is readily available.