Cherry, Almond & Dark Chocolate Granola Bars

Making granola bars from scratch... what a great idea.  It never even occurred to me that there was a non-processed version of these.  No offense, Quaker Oats!

Yield: About 20 bars

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup almonds, toasted
1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 9 oz bag dark chocolate morsels

1/4 teaspoon allspice
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons honey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl.  Heat the butter, brown sugar and honey in a saucepan until the butter melts.  Pour mixture over dry ingredients and mix until coated.  Transfer to prepared pan and press evenly with a spatula.

Bake about 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Press down on mixture again, to be sure it remains solid.  Cool, then remove from pan and place on cutting board. Cut into bars.

Tips:  The cardamom in this recipe gives it an exotic, interesting flavor.  If you don't like cardamom, simply omit it, or swap for something more standard like cinnamon.  Change the fruit, nuts or chocolate to make this to your own specifications, or omit butter and chocolate for a healthy variety.  The possibilities are endless!