Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

I'm always looking for ways to cut costs in our grocery budget.  The cost of food has gone up substantially in the last few years, add to that an allergy, and your looking at a pretty large food bill.  What's a budget conscience girl to do?  Homemade goodies as much as possible of course!

With this in mind, I have been in search of a great granola bar recipe.  One that is dairy free (of course) and not to costly to make.  Buying items in the bulk bins can bring costs down, and will certainly beat out any pre-made goodies.  This recipe is a hodge podge of different recipes that I've found over the last few months and makes a good replacement for pre-packaged granola bars.

Once baked, I cut the bars up and put them in an airtight container.  They are tasty, though a bit crumbly.  My husband likes to break up a bar and eat it as cereal.  Play around with the ingredients to find your families "perfect" granola bar.

Chocolate Chip Granola Bar
4 cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup almond butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread oats and coconut on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Let the mixture cool completely.  Mix all the ingredients together then add the cooled oat mixture.

Spread mixture into a greased 13 x 9" baking dish, pressing it firmly down.  Bake about 25 minutes or until it is golden brown.  Cool completely before cutting.