I love these no-bake and peanut butter and chocolate chips granola bars. I'd go so far as to call these healthy because they're made with whole grains and there's fruit included. Raisins count as fruit for me.
¼cupraisinsroughly chopped if they're large such as golden raisins
¼cupsemi-sweet chocolate chipsroughly chopped (or use mini chips)
Instructions
Prepare an 8-by-8-inch baking pan by lining it with foil leaving overhang, spray with cooking spray; set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl combine corn or brown rice syrup (I suspect maple syrup or agave are not quite sticky enough to properly bind the ingredients so bars will hold together), peanut butter, brown sugar, and heat on high power for 1 minute; stir to combine mixture. Heat for 1 more minute on high power and stir to combine.
Add vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and stir to combine. Add oats and stir to combine. Add rice cereal and gently stir to combine so it doesn't become too crushed. Add the raisins and fold to incorporate. Add the chocolate chips and quickly and gently fold to combine so chips don't begin to melt. Pour mixture into prepared pan and pack it down firmly with a spatula or hands, and place pan in the freezer for at least 1 hour, or until bars have set up.
Slice bars into desired sizes and shapes; I prefer 10 bars cut into rectangles about 4-inches long by about 3/4-inch wide, similar in size and shape to a Quaker Chewy Granola Bar; choose any shape and size desired. Bars will keep in an airtight container or wrapped in plasticwrap at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
Optional recipe tweaks and suggestions:Try other cereals or add shredded coconut flakes, flax seeds, poppy seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, or other seeds or small nuts.Try diced medjool dates, dried cranberries, dried apricots, or other dried from cherries to blueberries.The chocolate chips can be replaced with white chocolate, butterscotch, or peanut butter chips; or use toffee bits, mini M & M's, mini marshmallows, diced peanut butter cups, or any chopped and diced candy bar will work if you want to make these more dessert bar and less granola bar.The peanut butter can be replaced with other nut butters from almond to cashew; Biscoff or cookie butter spread to Nutella. If using a thinner nut butter like almond butter or a thinner spread like Nutella, you may need to use less since those spreads are runnier than peanut butter and could make batter a bit runny, or you may need to bump up the quantity of dry ingredients.Take care that all ingredients used are in keeping with your dietary path and needs from the types of cereal, oats, chocolate, and add-ins used if bars must be kept vegan, gluten-free, or soy-free.