Chewy Nut And Cereal Bars Recipes

CRISPY HONEY NUT GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil.
• Spread the oats, walnuts and almonds onto the prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven and toast for 7 minutes. Add the coconut and toss well with a rubber spatula, then place back in the oven to cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. Keep an eye on it towards the end; you want the coconut to turn golden but not burn.
• In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt in a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk and bring to a rapid boil, then turn off the heat and set aside.
• Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300°F. Combine the oat mixture, honey mixture, rice cereal, and dried fruit in a large bowl and toss well. (Reserve the aluminum foil.)
• Use the reserved foil to line a 9x13-inch baking dish, then spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Turn the granola bar mixture out into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly, patting down with a spatula. Be sure the heat is reduced to 300°F, then bake until lightly golden, 20 to 23 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely, 1 to 1½ hours. Use the foil overhang to transfer the bars to a cutting board, then use a large, sharp knife to cut into rectangles. Store the bars in a single layer in an airtight container, or wrap the bars individually in aluminum foil, for up to a week at room temperature.
• Note: You can swap in your favorite nuts and seeds as long as you keep the proportions of dry to wet ingredients the same. You can also toss in some dried fruit. On occasion, I'll sprinkle some chocolate chips over top for the kids (you can't mix them in or they'll melt).
• Note: Be sure your oven is fully preheated before toasting nuts; the initial blast of heat to preheat the oven can burn them.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The granola bars can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove them from the container and let them come to room temperature.

HEALTHY CHEWY CEREAL BARS

Steps:

• Line a 9-inch square cake pan with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two opposite sides.
• In a large bowl, combine cereal, cranberries, pepitas and flax seeds.
• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine nut butter, honey, cinnamon and kosher salt; cook just until completely smooth (do not bring to a simmer), 1-2 minutes. Off heat, stir in vanilla. Pour nut butter mixture over cereal and gently, but thoroughly, mix until cereal is completely coated.
• Transfer cereal mixture to prepared pan and press firmly into an even layer using flat bottom of a measuring cup, bowl or glass. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using. Cover and chill at least one hour, or preferably 4 hours.
• Lift bar out of pan using parchment overhang. Slice into 10 even cereal bars.
• Store cereal bars between layers of parchment or waxed paper in an airtight container (or individually wrapped in plastic wrap) in the refrigerator.

CHEWY NUT AND CEREAL BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Lightly oil a 9-inch square baking pan, then line bottom and sides with parchment and lightly oil parchment.
• Toast almonds in a 4-sided sheet pan until pale golden, 6 to 9 minutes. Stir in sesame seeds and bake until seeds are golden, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and cool completely.
• Reduce oven to 325°F.
• Gently heat honey, brown sugar, and oil in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring, until smooth.
• Stir together rice cereal, cashews, and almond-sesame mixture in a large bowl.
• Beat egg whites with a rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl with a fork until foamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir honey mixture into cereal mixture, then stir in whites.
• Spread mixture in baking pan, pressing gently, and bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely, then turn out onto a cutting board and cut into bars.

CHEWY NO-BAKE CEREAL BARS

Steps:

• Line the base of a 20 x 20cm baking tin with baking parchment. Put the seeds in a dry, non-stick pan over a medium heat and cook until they start to pop and turn golden. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
• In a medium saucepan, soften the nut butter and honey over a low heat for about 2 mins, stirring continuously, until the mixture has warmed through.
• Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the cinnamon and cocoa powder, followed by the fruit and toasted seeds. Add the puffed rice and stir well to coat. Quickly transfer the mixture to the tin, spreading out evenly and pressing down with the back of a spoon to create a compact, even surface.
• Leave for 45 mins-1 hr to firm up, then slice into 8 bars with a sharp knife. Wrap in strips of baking parchment and secure with tape or string. Will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

NATURE NUTS CHEWY BARS

Steps:

• Melt marshmallows, butter, and raisins together over medium heat, stirring until smooth.
• Mix in cereal until coated. Scrape the mixture into a greased pan and let chill. (We popped them into the freezer for a few minutes to hurry it up, because the kids just couldn't wait.)

STARBUCKS CHEWY FRUIT AND NUT BARS

Steps:

• Ingredient note: look in your health food aisle for a healthy alternative to Rice Krispies. The brand I found is made by Enviro-Kidz and uses BROWN rice.
• Prepare 9x13 pan with non-stick spray (or line with parchment paper).
• In a large mixing bowl, toss all dry ingredients. Feel free to substitute your preferred nut or dried fruit.
• In a saucepan, combine brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and allow to boil one minute. (Note: boiling the sugars is what helps the bars become firm and not sticky, so this step is important).
• After boiling, turn off heat; add vanilla and peanut butter. QUICKLY pour this hot mixture over the dry ingredients and toss to combine.
• Pour warm mixture into prepared pan. Wet your fingers and press the mixture down into the pan to compress the bars so they will slice evenly.
• When cool, use a sharp knife to cut into 18 bars (1 long lengthwise cut and 9 cuts across). Enjoy with a hot cup of Starbucks coffee for an authentic experience!
• Note: Starbucks does not list corn syrup in their ingredients, but the sweetener in their list is not readily available. I tried using Maple Syrup, but the bars were very crumbly and would not stay together in bars. Therefore, I found that Corn Syrup is the best ingredient that is readily available.

NUT FREE CHEWY GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper. Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a mixing bowl, combine oats, salt and cinnamon.
• In small saucepan, combine honey and coconut oil. Cook over medium heat until bubbly. Turn the heat off and stir in the vanilla.
• Pour honey mixture into the oats and stir until well combined.
• Stir in pepitas and dried cranberries if adding. Once the mixture has cooled slightly, add in chocolate chips.
• Spoon mixture into your parchment lined pan and spread evenly. Spray a small amount of cooking spray onto your hands and press the mixture firmly into the pan so that it stays together.
• Place the pan in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove the bars with the parchment paper and cut into 12 even bars. Enjoy!