Peanut Bars

These are kinda like granola bars, but better. There’s just one problem: they don’t hold their bar shape very well. I considered rolling them into balls, but after posting Angels’ Balls and Balls of Awesomeness, I was worried you might think I had a “thing” for balls.

¾ cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts

2 cups dried cranberries

1 ¾ cups old fashioned oats

2 cups Rice Krispies (or equivalent)

½ cup natural unsalted peanut butter

just under ½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup plus 1 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Coat a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.

2. In the biggest bowl you can find (trust me), combine the peanuts, dried cranberries, oats and Rice Krispies. Stir to make sure everything is mixed together.

3. In a large microwaveable bowl, combine the peanut butter, brown sugar and honey. Zap on high for a minute and a half (it’ll be hot and bubbly).

4. Stir peanut butter mixture until it’s fully combined. Stir in vanilla.

5. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients. Mix well, making sure everything gets coated, especially the oats—they often try to escape.

6. Transfer the mixture to the pan. Press down firmly. Allow to sit for at least an hour before cutting into bars.