Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (aka Fiber Bars)

When I needed to look for ways to increase my youngest's daily fiber intake, Fiber Bars were a lifesaver. Fiberful, yummy and a quick way to eat breakfast. However, I didn't like how processed the store-bought fiber bars are. I set out to find a recipe that was a bit more healthy, but still high in fiber. Here is what I came up with. With 16 servings, they don't have as much fiber as a store-bought bar. These are 4.5 grams per bar, but it's all natural!

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat bran
1 cup All Bran cereal
1 cup Koala Crisp cereal (or rice krispies-type cereal)
1 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 - 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.
3. On stove, heat honey and sugar until it bubbles and froths. Stir constantly for 1 minute. This will caramelize the sugars and help the bars stick together.
4. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until smooth.
5. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix well.
6. Stir in mini chocolate chips - if honey mixture is too hot, this will melt the chips. Doesn't look as good, but it still tastes great! Another alternative is to omit chocolate chips at the this point and sprinkle 1/4 cup of them on the top after they are pressed into the pan. 
7. Dump granola mixture into pan. Use a piece of wax paper to press the mixture flat and into the corners.Peel wax paper off bars.
8. Cool completely. Invert onto a large cutting board and cut into 16 - 20 rectangles.
9. Wrap bars individually with saran wrap and store in a air-tight container.

Yield: 16 bars