Granola "Bars"

This is an Alton Brown recipe that we've wanted to do FOREVER. I have been moving us away from processed foods for years, so I thought making our own granola would be kind of awesome.

However, I'm not sure how to actually get this to be granola bars. Ours fell apart after I cut them into squares, so we just ended up with granola. However, it's delicious.

Alton Brown's Granola Bars

8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups
1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, approximately 1/2 cup
3 ounces sliced almonds, approximately 1 cup
1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup
6 ounces honey, approximately 1/2 cup
1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup packed
1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F.
Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine.

Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Notes: When it says press down, press down HARD. We used a smaller baking dish and I put all my weight into pushing down, and ours still did not retain the shape. However, we made a couple of changes to the recipe - we used different dried fruit (raisins, apricots and dried apples that I ran through the food processor) and we also used more than he says in the recipe. This may have contributed to the change in consistency. Maybe if you stick with just one cup, it would help.