Apple Cranberry Granola Bars

This morning I wanted to make my kids a healthy snack for after school.  I have never made homemade granola bars and have always wanted to.  After consulting several recipes I created my own version.  I wanted to imitate this apple cranberry granola bar that we can't find anymore at our local grocery store.  Most granola bars, homemade or otherwise, have corn syrup in them.  Disgusting.  I stay away from that stuff as much as possible so I used a combination of butter, applesauce, and honey and the result was so delicious.  If you want to give this a try and you don't have dried cranberries on hand try using raisins and omitting the almond extract. 

2 C. Quick Oats
1/2 C. Rice Crispies
1/4 C. Coconut
1/4 C. Dried Cranberries
1/4 C. Pecans, chopped pretty small but not into dust
1/4 C. Dried Apples, chopped into small bits (if you don't have dried apples just use fresh)
1/3 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Egg
1/4 C. Butter, softened
1/2 C. Applesauce
1/2 C. Honey
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Almond Extract (optional)

Combine all dry ingredients and mix together well.  Add egg, butter, applesauce, honey and extracts.  Spray a 9x13 (or a 8x12 pan if you want your bars to be a little thicker) with cooking spray and press granola mixture into pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting into bars.  Allow to cool for another hour or until completely cool before serving.