Do you like easy, fast, healthy, snacky, convenient AND easy (oh did I say that already???) foods for your family?  Well I do!  My kids rave about these and tend to gobble them up really fast.  Oats, cheerios, flax, honey, almond butter and chocolate have staring roles in this easy to prepare, no-bake granola bar recipe.

I really enjoy making things from stuff I already have around the house.  I also like to have food in the house that is a good go-to for those days that we are running around (practices, recitals, errands).  These no-bake snacks can serve as a breakfast item or as a quick snack grab when you’re on the run.  Let’s face it, I love them too!

Another benefit to these granola bars is they are safe for my little guy, who has a severe peanut allergy.  We learned about his allergy the hard way and have to be extra careful with what we feed him.  This means that he cannot have foods that are processed in a facility that also processes peanuts.  This makes the usual granola bars a no-can-do in this house.  I made these with almond butter that is made in a peanut free facility.  It eases my mind knowing that it’s something he enjoys and it’s safe for him too.

How they’re made:

I like to use steel cut oats instead of traditional rolled oats.  You can use either one in this recipe, but I really enjoy the nutty flavor of steel cut oats.  Another quick tip: you can toast the oats to bring out that flavor a little more.  Just put them in the oven on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Skipping this step is fine if you don’t have the time.

Besides oats, Cheerios and almond butter, these breakfast bars also contain honey, coconut oil and flax seed to “up” the healthy factor.  I usually have these ingredients on hand so I can make these no-bake breakfast bars up at any time.  The almond butter with chocolate is a great combination with the nutty flavor of the oats.  I’ve found that the Cheerios adds a great crunch and keeps your bars from becoming soggy and difficult to chew, unlike bars made with only rolled oats.

Also, these are just as sweet without the brown sugar.  I have it listed in the recipe since I used it this time around, but it really is optional.

Ingredients

2 cups Cheerios

1 cup steel cut oats or rolled oats (toasted for 10 mins at 350 F if you prefer)

1/4 cup dark chocolate chip morsels

2 Tbs flax seed

2 Tbs brown sugar (optional)

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup almond butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: No-bake granola bar recipe

Line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper.

Mix Cheerios, oats, chocolate chips, flax seed and brown sugar in a medium bowl.  Melt coconut oil, honey and almond butter over stovetop just until easily mixed.  Add vanilla to melted mixture.  Pour over dry ingredients and mix well until thoroughly coated.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Press firmly into pan.  I used a round cake pan to help me press these into shape more firmly.  Put in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Now you should be able to pull these out of the pan using the edges of the parchment paper.  Cut them into bars, squares, triangles or whatever shape you fancy.  Keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat/pack one up.

I hope you enjoy these no-bake granola bars.

I really like the fact that these are cut into perfect individual portion sizes.  They really do make the perfect grab and run breakfast.  They also make a great addition to lunch boxes, road trip snack bags or picnic baskets.  Make sure you try these no-bake granola bars.  They are a favorite at our house and I hope you enjoy them too.

Print

No-Bake Granola Bars

Prep Time

15 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

So simple, so good, and with a healthy twist.  Keeps them coming back for more.  Chocolate, oats, Cheerios, honey and almond butter are the perfect compliments in this snack or breakfast bar.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cheerios
• 1 cup oats steel cur or rolled oats
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chip morsels
• 2 Tbs flax seed
• 2 Tbs brown sugar optional
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper.

2. Mix Cheerios, oats, chocolate chips, flax seed and brown sugar in a medium bowl.

3. Melt coconut oil, honey and almond butter over stovetop just until easily mixed.  Add vanilla to melted mixture.

4. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well until thoroughly coated.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Press firmly into pan. 

5. I used a round cake pan to help me press these into shape more firmly.  Put in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

6. Cut into bars.