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chewy no bake granola bars

Chewy No Bake Granola Bars

This recipe for chewy no bake granola bars is the best!  Easy and perfect for school lunch.  Pick your favorite mix ins.

  • Total Time: 13 minutes
  • Yield: 15 bars 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups quick-cooking oats (or pulse whole oats in a food processor a bit)
  • 1 C rice crispy cereal
  • 1/4 C shredded coconut
  • 1/4 C butter
  • 1/4 C honey or agave
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oats, cereal, and coconut.
  2. Set a small saucepan over medium-high heat and melt the butter.  Add the honey, brown sugar, and salt.  Stir together then leave it alone as it comes to a boil.  Once the boil has reached all the way around the edges of the pan, begin timing.  Allow this mixture to boil for 2 minutes and 15 seconds.  During this time, you may need to turn the heat down a bit so it doesn’t overflow, but be sure it keeps boiling.  If you have a candy thermometer, you want to bring the mixture to 235 degrees.
  3. Add the vanilla then pour the mixture over the oats, using a rubber spatula to get all the sugar mixture out of the pan.  Mix the ingredients together until the oats are completely coated.
  4. Add in your desired mix-in then press very firmly into a lightly greased 9×13″ pan.  If you like your bars thicker, you can use a smaller pan or double the recipe and use the same 9×13 pan.  If you do not press firmly enough, the bars will fall apart when you eat them.  Place them in the fridge for 20 minutes then cut them to size.

Notes

Healthier Recipe Variation

Eliminate the butter and use 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of coconut oil. Substitute agave nectar for the honey. When boiling this mixture, reduce the time to 90 seconds.

Chocolate Chip
Add 1/2 C of mini chocolate chips to the finished mixture before pressing into the pan, allowing it cool just a bit or you will end up with melted chips.  Sprinkle on a few extra chips over the top after they are pressed into the pan.

White Chocolate Cranberry
Add 1/3 C of white chocolate chips and 1/3 C of Craisins to the finished mixture before pressing into the pan, allowing it to cool just a bit first or you will end up with melted chips.

Candy Bar
Add 1/3 C of Heath bar pieces, 1/3 C of mini M&M’s and 1/3 C of chopped pretzels to the finished mixture before pressing into the pan.

Peanut Butter
Add 2 Tb of peanut butter to the finished sugar mixture before pouring it over the oats.  Once mixed with the oats, add 1/2 C peanut butter chips before pressing them into the pan.

Raisin Nut
Add 1/3 C of chopped raisins and 1/3 C of chopped pecans to the finished mixture before pressing into the pan.

  • Author: Carole Jones
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 3 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Stove top
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 192
  • Sugar: 12 g
  • Sodium: 80 mg
  • Fat: 8 g
  • Saturated Fat: 5 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 28 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 3 g
  • Cholesterol: 8 mg

Keywords: No bake granola bars