Chop the nuts and dried fruit, if you're using them.
Add peanut butter, honey, oats, and any optional ingredients into a bowl and mix them well. 1 cup peanut butter1 cup honey3 cups oats
Grab a 9x9 baking sheet and line it with some parchment paper. If you don't have a 9x9 pan, any pan will do–just keep an eye on how thick your bars are.
Pour the peanut butter mixture onto the parchment paper. This will help you handle the granola bars to shape them.
Cover the mixture up with another piece of parchment paper, and begin rolling the bars flat. You can use a can of soda or beans if you don't have a rolling pin that will fit inside the pan.
After your oat mixture is nice and flat, throw the top piece of parchment away and use the bottom one to lift out your granola bars onto a cooling rack.
Push the granola into a nice firm square on all sides, then let it sit in the fridge and harden for an hour or so if you have the time. They'll be a little easier to cut, but the rest time is optional.