I love peanut butter and chocolate but I wanted a change. Something bright and fresh which is when the idea for tropical granola bars hit me. The granola bars take 5 minutes to make, 20 minutes to set up, and in under a half hour your snack is ready. No baking necessary and they’re made in the microwave. Compared to store bought, the bars are far more cost effective and you can pronounce all the ingredients. For the tropical twist I added dried tropical fruit. They’re soft, perfectly chewy, have great texture and remind me of Quaker Chewy Granola Bars.
2cupquick-cook oatsdo not use old-fashioned whole-rolled oats; too large and bars will not hold together
1cupRice Krispies cerealor similar generic
1cuptropical dried fruit medleydiced into small pieces (mine contained pineapple, mandarins, mangoes, and coconut)
¼teaspoonsalt
Instructions
Line an 8×8-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
To a large microwave-safe bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, honey, and heat on high power for 60 to 90 seconds, or until butter has melted and ingredients can be whisked smooth.
Return bowl to microwave and heat on high power for 1 minute. Stop and whisk.
Return bowl to microwave and heat on high power for 1 minute. Mixture should be bubbling. If you’ve ever made caramel sauce, it looks like the beginning stages of caramel. You want the mixture to be bubbling to ensure that the bars hold together upon cooling. If yours isn’t bubbling, return bowl to microwave and heat for another 30 to 60 seconds, or until bubbling.
Add the oats, Rice Krispies, dried fruit, salt, and stir to combine.
Turn mixture out into prepared pan, hard-packing it with a spatula so form an even, smooth, flat layer. Make sure to really press it down firmly and compactly.
Freeze for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until bars have set, and slice into bars. I wrap each bar in plasticwrap and store them in a gallon-sized ziptop bag in the fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. I have not tried storing the bars at room temp for longer than a few hours.