I love my oats and one of the best way I like to eat them is as a granola bar. As I share more and more recipes that I stumble upon, you will notice a trait in all of them : must be very easy, fuss free and flexible.
I love Gemma Stafford and I actually subscribe to her channel on YouTube. She recently posted the video below on her channel. She had me at granola and no-bake. I just had to try it out and these are the perfect size snacks to pack into your kid’s snack boxes.
I am only going to do a variation of her recipe so I won’t be listing the full ingredients. You can see the full recipe, instructions, and various ways to jazz up the granola bars on her page at Bigger Bolder Baking.
You Will Need
![ingredients](https://static.cdntap.com/tap-assets-prod/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/ingredients.jpg?width=700&quality=10)
1 ½ cups rolled oats
1 cup Keloggs Rice Crispies cereal
¼ cup butter
¼ cup honey (agave, rice or maple syrup)
½ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (1 oz / 30g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
¼ chopped toasted almonds
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix together the oats and cereal.
![ingredients](https://static.cdntap.com/tap-assets-prod/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/ingredients-1.jpg?width=700&quality=10)
In a microwavable bowl add in butter, honey and brown sugar.
![wet ingredients](https://static.cdntap.com/tap-assets-prod/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/wet-ingredients.jpg?width=700&quality=10)
Microwave this mixture for 2 minutes. It will bubble up so make sure your bowl is big enough so it doesn’t overflow. You can also do this step in a saucepan if you don’t have a microwave.
![brown sugar](https://static.cdntap.com/tap-assets-prod/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/brown-sugar.jpg?width=700&quality=10)
Into the caramel, whisk in the vanilla
![vanilla](https://static.cdntap.com/tap-assets-prod/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/vanilla.jpg?width=700&quality=10)
Pour the mixture over the oats and thoroughly stir using a rubber spatula. Mix the ingredients together until the oats are completely coated. Add in cocoa powder.
![cocoa powder](https://static.cdntap.com/tap-assets-prod/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/cocoa-powder.jpg?width=700&quality=10)
Add in chopped toasted almonds, dried cranberries and the chocolate chips. Mix well.
![condiments](https://static.cdntap.com/tap-assets-prod/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/condiments.jpg?width=700&quality=10)
Then press very firmly into a small 9 x 6 tray(what I had) lined with parchment. If you like your bars thinner, you can use a bigger pan, but no bigger than 9 x 13.
![press](https://static.cdntap.com/tap-assets-prod/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/press.jpg?width=700&quality=10)
Make sure to press firmly enough, otherwise the bars will fall apart when you eat them. Place them in the fridge for 2-3 hours to set.
![fridge](https://static.cdntap.com/tap-assets-prod/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/fridge.jpg?width=700&quality=10)
Cut to preferred size.
![cutintobars](https://static.cdntap.com/tap-assets-prod/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/cutintobars.jpg?width=700&quality=10)
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. And in true auntie spirit, I stored mine in a Tupperware 😉
![container](https://static.cdntap.com/tap-assets-prod/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/container.jpg?width=700&quality=10)
Findings
I might reduce the amount of brown sugar the next time I make this, because I did think it was a little too sweet for my tastes. I don’t think it would affect the recipe too much if the sugar was reduced by a bit. If the mixture ends up too dry despite the constant mixing, try adding a little more honey.
Happy trying!