i've been on the hunt for a good granola bar recipe for years now. i love chewy granola bars, but in general try to avoid processed foods - hence, my need for a good recipe. this one i've adapted below came to me via a vegetarian times email, and it gets 2 thumbs up from me (and craig...and my mom). my one point of contention: it's more of an oat "blondie" than a true granola bar, but it's so delicious, who's complaining?

here's what you'll need:

1 1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup butterscotch morsels
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg white
cinnamon & nutmeg

(the original recipe {here} called for dried apricots, chocolate morsels and walnuts...among other things...but i modified the recipe to suit what was in my pantry.)

preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x8 baking dish.

1. in a medium bowl, mix together oats, flour, baking soda, salt, raisins, butterscotch morsels and pecans. add a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg if you want.

2. in a large bowl, combine sugar, syrup, peanut butter, oil and the egg white. mix until smooth.

3. add dry oat mixture slowly into the wet ingredients until thoroughly mixed.

4. pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake for approximately 35 minutes.