Granola Bars-coconut chip

I have kids with food allergies which can make getting some items tough, especially if you are looking for healthier options of kid favorites. We always have a hard time locating granola and granola bars that are nut free, so I learned to make them myself. The bonus to this is that I can customize the recipe to what I have on hand or what the kids like, and once you make it a few times, you learn when it looks "right" and can do a lot of it by eye. I posted the basic trail mix granola bar recipe on my other blog and it can be found here

Today the kids requested granola bars, so this was what I put together.

Coconut Chip Granola Bars

2 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 eggs beaten
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup apple butter (we had homemade on hand, can use apple sauce too)
1/4 cup veg oil (you can up applesauce to a cup and not use any oil)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2-3/4 cup shredded coconut (we usually use unsweetened, but I had sweetened today, if unsweetened, you may want to add a 1/4 cup of honey)


Basically just toss in a bowl and stir until very well combined. It should be wet and be able to hold together when pushed on, but not at all soupy. If it is too wet, and there is excess liquid, add some more flour and oats, too dry, a little more applesauce or oil. Basically mine looks like a thick oatmeal cookie dough. Press evenly into a greased dish, I use a large Pyrex dish that I greased, and bake at 350 30-45 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through. These will cut into nice bars for the kids, and you know they are filled with healthy stuff. The best part is you can sub any mix ins you want, we love raisins, dried cranberries, figs, dried apples and blueberries (this is excellent with maple syrup in place of some of the sugar or honey). No nuts here, but if you can have the, they are an excellent option as well!