These granola bars are not-too-sweet, crunchy, toasty and truly delicious — a perfect addition to lunch boxes and snack packs.

Ingredients :

• 3 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup miniature chocolate chips (plus a few more to sprinkle on top)

Preparation :

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Stir in the applesauce, brown sugar and vanilla and mix well. Stir in 2/3 cup chocolate chips.
Scrape the mixture into your prepared pan and use clean hands to pat the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle a few more chocolate chips on top (if desired).
Bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes. Carefully cut into bars (12 or 16, depending on how big you want the bars to be). Then move the bars to a wire rack to let them cool completely. Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature or wrap each of them and freeze until ready to eat. They’re great to throw into lunch boxes!