I am writing this recipe at 10 p.m. on Friday night, after 8 clients and 1 dinner party in 5 days, so you do the math as to how I am feeling about anything right now – especially cooking! LOL

I do love my job, but sometimes there can be too much of a good thing! So for me this weekend, if anything is happening in the kitchen (other than coffee!) it has to be easy-peasy, which is why I am sharing with you my no-bake granola bars!

Check out all the different variations you can whip up, my personal fav is pineapple/macadamia, goes perfect with this bar since there is already coconut in the mix!

No-Bake Granola Bars

Yield: One 9×13 pan

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups quick cooking oats (or pulse whole oats in a food processor a bit)

1 cup crispy rice cereal

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup honey or agave syrup

12 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine oats, cereal and coconut in large mixing bowl.
2. Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-high heat; add honey, brown sugar and salt; stir together and allow to come to a boil.
3. Begin timing once the boil has reached all the way around the edges of the saucepan. Allow mixture to boil for 2 minutes, 15 seconds. Adjust heat as needed so it doesn’t overflow, but be sure it keeps boiling.
4. Add the vanilla, the pour over the oat mixture, using a rubber spatula to get all the sugar syrup out of the pan; mix together until oats are completely coated.
5. Add in desired mix-ins (see variations below) and then press mixture FIRMLY into a lightly greased 9×13” pan. (For thicker bars, use a smaller pan, or double the recipe and use the 9×13” pan.) If you don’t press the mixture firmly into the pan, the bars will fall apart when you cut them.
6. Refrigerate for 20 minutes and then cut into bars.

Mix-in variations

Chocolate Chip: Add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips to the oat mixture (let it cool a bit to avoid melted chips) before pressing into the pan. Sprinkle a few chips over the top before refrigerating.

White Chocolate Cranberry: Add 1/3 cup white chocolate chips and 1/3 cup Craisins to the oat mixture (let it cool a bit to avoid melted chips) before pressing into the pan.

Candy Bar: Add 1/3 cup Heath bar pieces, 1/3 cup of mini-M&Ms and 1/3 cup chopped pretzels to the oat mixture before pressing into the pan.

Peanut Butter: Add 2 Tbs. of peanut butter to the sugar mixture before pouring over the oats. Once mixed, add 1/2 cup peanut butter chips pecans to the finished mixture before pressing into the pan.

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

Pineapple/Macadamia: Add 1/3 cup dried chopped pineapple and 1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts to the finished mixture before pressing into the pan.

Click here to download a printable copy of the No Bake Granola Bars Recipe