do-it-yourself cliff bars

I found this recipe awhile ago, and have been meaning to post it (really I have!). Another allrecipes.com gem, this one is technically called Bird Seed Energy Bars but for us backpackers, it's really just Cliff Bars At Home.

I modified in my making of it, so have copied here with notes:

Ingredients

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats : Not the quick cook kind!
  
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed: I mixed dark and light because that's what I had
  
• 1 cup wheat germ : Use the toasted or raw kind, though I hear toasted tastes better
  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup canola oil: I was actually low on oil, so I upped the honey content. You might also try substituting apple sauce for oil to make it lower fat (though proceed at your own risk, I haven't done this yet)
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt

Goodies to mix in:

• 1/2 cup flax seeds: I didn't have any handy so I skipped this, but they're really good for you and worth trying
  
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds: I didn't have any handy so I skipped this
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds: I didn't have any handy so I skipped this
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips: Oh heck yes
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts: Because I like them and they're good for you
• 1/2 cup chopped cherry-flavoured Craisins: Trust me on the cherry-flavoured, and take the bars to a whole new level
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x14 inch ovenproof baking dish.
2. Mix the rolled oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, and flour together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, canola oil, vanilla, and salt until evenly blended., and stir into the oat mixture. Stir in the goodies. Use your hands to mix the ingredients, and press the mixture into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven until the edges are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely in the baking dish before cutting into 2 inch bars.Took me a little longer to bake them since I was going for the golden brown.
   

We have LOVED these. Cut them into squares, store in the fridge in tupperware, and pull out as needed for hikes, snacks, trips, whatever. Mr. Man loves them so much he got fussy when he thought I was withholding one from him on a recent backpacking trip :-)