Speculoos Granola Bar

Today is the first day of school for Jos and Luke.  Last Friday we were able to learn the class assignments for the kids.  Each school posts the class lists, which provides a full long weekend to either celebrate your placement or come to terms with disappointment.  For Luke, it was almost all celebration.  He is with the majority of his friends, but didn't get the teacher he had hoped for.  For Josilin, there was pure disappointment.  She is separated from her best friend and many of the other girls she had hoped to be with.  We talked a lot about making new friends and the opportunities this presented.  Well, rather I talked about these things while I was met with a lot of eye rolling and door slamming. 

My sleep was restless last night.  You would have thought it was my first day at a new school!  A mother's heart never rests.  This morning Jos woke up with a huge smile on her face and enthusiasm to start this new year.  I hope when she comes home the smile will be just as big.  Change can be hard, but it can also bring so many new joys we never knew before.  We will see what this year brings.

Luke and I made these granola bars for the first week of school.  He declared they were the best granola bars he had ever tasted.  If I were to make it again, I'd exclude the crispy rice cereal as it becomes chewy in texture.  Both kids insisted that chewiness is was what made them so good. Since they are going in their lunches, it's hard to argue that they should be made differently. We added some hemp seeds to up the protein and in my crazy mom logic, somehow counterbalance all the sugar in these. 

Speculoos Granola Bar

adapted from two peas and their pod

¼ cup unsalted butter

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup Speculoos spread

1 tsp vanilla

1 ¾ cup quick oats

¾ cup crispy rice cereal

½ cup hemp seeds

½ cup Speculoos cookies (about 3 crushed)

Line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
In a large sauce pan combine butter, brown sugar, maple syrup and Speculoos spread.  Cook over medium heat until the mixture bubbles.  Continue cooking for 2min while stirring.  Remove from heat and add the vanilla.
Stir in the oatmeal, crispy rice, hemp seeds and Speculoos cookies.  Stir until well coated and pour into prepared pan.  Press the mixture into the pan and refrigerate for 30min. Cut into bars or squares and enjoy!