Homemade Granola Bars

We go through a lot of granola bars in this house. We are becoming more label-conscious though, and it is really hard to find a good granola bar that isn't made with high fructose corn syrup. A lot of them are just way too sweet, too. I've tried my hand at granola bars in the past, but didn't have much luck. Then, I saw Alton Brown prepare these granola bars on The Food Network, the last time I got sent to Boise for the night, and had free cable t.v.! The key to making a successful batch is definitely pressing the mixture down into the pan, using another pan. Equally important is letting them cool 100% before trying to cut them up, otherwise you will end up with a crumbly mess. We have a grocery chain in our area that offers a huge variety of "bulk bin" items, so the ingredients for these bars were quite inexpensive. For the dried fruit, I used a bag of cherry Craisins, which provided just the right amount of sweetness. I'm pretty sure I won't be buying granola bars again!