No-Bake Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Jesse has been wanting to make granola bars for awhile now; so when I came across Lauren’s Latests No-Bake Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, I knew I had something I could do. As with all recipes I try, I always follow the directions pretty close. Okay, so maybe not always, but this time I did. I wanted to make sure these turned out since there wasn’t any baking involved before I started messing with them. The one thing I am worried about is keeping them together.  Lauren is saying they should, but if they don’t then I probably didn’t pack them tight enough.  It can’t be because they are too thin – who wants thin granola bars? At least I’m pretty sure my bar pan will make sure they are thick enough. *grin* So far, they seem to be working pretty well.

Now that I’ve tried the recipe, I already have ways of changing it tumbling around in my mind.  The first change is going to be reflected below. I’m thinking there is entirely too much honey involved.  There is a strong honey taste, so I’m thinking the 1/2 cup is a bit much, so I’m changing it to 1/3 cup. I may take it all the way down to 1/4 cup, but without trying it just yet, I’m going to say a 1/3.  I like the idea that it’s a natural sweetener, so I don’t want to take too much out of it.

On the plus side, I might be able to make this work to my benefit.  If I add 1/2 cup of SunButter (so they’ll be nut-free), the honey might help with the SunButter taste (which I’m slowly getting used to, but it still doesn’t beat peanut butter).  Another variation I want to try is adding some flaxseed and protein powder to boost the nutritional facts a little. Good fats and protein is a good thing to have after all.  I also want to try adding in various fruits and coconut and that will definitely be tried next time. *grin*

The best part about this recipe, in my opinion, is most of these ingredients are already in my pantry, so making them on the fly should be pretty easy.  The only thing I might not have on hand is the rice cereal, but I’m thinking that will be easy to substitute or if I even need it at all.  Simply adding some granola or leaving it out entirely may also be an option. Either way, this is definitely something I’ll be trying again and soon.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup honey
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
4 cups quick cooking oats {not rolled oats!}
2 cup crispy rice cereal
4 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Directions:
In a large bowl, stir oats and rice cereal together. Set aside. In a small pot, melt butter, honey and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it comes to a bubble. Reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes. Pour in vanilla and stir. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients. Pour into lightly greased small cookie sheet and press out to be about 3/4 inch in thickness. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and press down lightly. Cool on a countertop to room temperature for two hours or until the chocolate chips are set before cutting into bars. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

Recipe Notes: If your granola bars don’t seem to be staying together when you cut them, you may have made them too thin or you didn’t pack them in tight enough. Stick them in the fridge for 20 minutes and that should help keep them together. {Be sure not to keep them in there too long or else they’ll become super hard!} The next time you make them, try reducing the butter to 3 tablespoons and really packing them down.

Nutritional Information: Servings 20 bars; Calories 143; Fat 23g; Carbs 4g; Protein 3g (as determined by MyFitnessPal.com)