Looking for an alternative to cookies? Try these granola bars!

Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup margarine

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup chopped dried fruit (Berries and apricots used here)

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Place oats and nuts on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for about 10 minutes until they are browned lightly. Once browned, place in a large mixing bowl.

3. Combine the margarine, maple syrup, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until butter and sugar dissolve. Stir as it is heating.

4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the vanilla and salt. Add this to the oat and nut mixture and stir to combine.

5. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

6. Line a square 8- or 9-inch baking pan with overlapping parchment and spray with cooking spray. Place the oat mixture in the pan and press down using the bottom of a glass sprayed with cooking spray.

7. Chill the pan in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Lift from the pan using the parchment and place on cutting board. Cut into 16 pieces.

Nutrition facts (per serving)

Calories: 105

Total fat: 5.2 g

Saturated fat: 1 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 67 mg

Carbohydrates: 13.9 g

Fiber: 1.4 g

Protein: 1.7 g