Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt High Fiber Bars

I, personally, am a fan of Fiber One. They have a great product that offers a tasty granola bar or cereal with high dietary fiber and low sugar. It's also delicious compared to other granola bar brands. Their bars have less sugar and more fiber than other competitors such as Quaker Chewy bars, and Nature Valley.
In any case, when you are a college student you want to try and trim your budget in areas that are not necessary - though I would say that granola bars are a staple snack food for many students.

As a Yoga Instructor and full time student, I need a quick, healthy, tasty snack to refuel during the day. Walking, running, biking back and forth across campus, teaching yoga, and using tons of brain power to keep a high GPA keeps your metabolism burning! So naturally, I go through a lot of granola bars.
I decided to start making some - and so I have created a lovely little recipe with a gourmet look and taste with a college student budget!

Another  side note, you might notice the handy little knife I used! Another problem I have noticed in many college student kitchens is their lack of proper kitchen knives. As a certified knife specialist at Sur La Table, my biggest pet peeve in the kitchen is a dull knife. Yet, I am a college student, just like many of you, and can't afford a $200 chef knife. So here I have the amazing little Kuhn Rikon Santoku from Sur La Table. They come in multiple bright, fun colors and other knife types. The great thing about this brand is that they are affordable, durable, and fun!

Dark Chocolate and Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, High-Fiber Granola Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats

• 1 cup brown puffed rice cereal

• 2/3 cup Fiber One Original bran cereal

• 1 Tbs ground flax seed

• 1/2 cup (+ 2 Tbs) mini dark chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)

• Sea Salt for sprinkling (I have the Trader Joe's Pink Himalayan Sea Salt grinder - delicious!)

• 4 Tbs butter

• 1 Tbs honey

• 1 Tbs maple syrup

• 2 Tbs Almond Butter

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 7 jumbo marshmallows

Instructions:

• Grease an 8 x 8 inch glass pyrex dish with cooking spray and fully rub the oil around with a towel. Set aside.

• Combine oats, puffed rice, Fiber One cereal, flax seed, and 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl.

• Combine butter, honey, maple syrup, and almond butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for three 30 second intervals (stirring occasionally). Add Marshmallows and microwave for another 40 - 60 seconds until the marshmallows are melted and when you stir with a spoon the marshmallow cloud collapses into a liquid-gooey consistency!

• Pour marshmallow mixture onto your cereal mixture.

• USE YOUR HANDS  or a spoon to fully mix the marshmallow with the cereal - this is the fun and sticky part!

• Pour mixture into prepared glass dish and press firmly down. *See Note*

• Melt the extra 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips in the microwave (start with about 40 seconds, and add 20-30 second intervals until you can easily stir and it becomes liquid-molten chocolate.

• Drizzle chocolate over the bars.

• Sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on top of the melted chocolate - don't over do it though!)

• Refrigerate the bars for about 30 or 45 minutes so that the marshmallow sets and the chocolate drizzle cools.

• Remove from the baking dish and cut into 12 bars. Store in a plastic container or wrap in plastic wrap to take with you!

*Note*

• Cut an 9 x 9 inch piece of parchment paper.
• After pouring mixture into glass dish, lay the parchment paper over the dish and use your hands to firmly press down so that the bars are evenly flat throughout, and firmly packed down. 
• Remove the Parchment paper.