Chewy No-Bake Grain and Oat Bars

From the kitchen of Carly

Sweet, crunchy, and entirely no-fuss. These chewy bars combine toasted grains, oats, and your choice of dried fruit, nuts, or chocolate into one satisfying bite. Mix, press, chill, and cut. Perfect for grabbing on busy mornings or afternoon snacking.

Prep
n/a
Cook
n/a
Total
n/a
Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more
  • 14 cups mixed unsweetened puffed grain cereal (such as corn, rice, kamut, and/or millet)
  • 11 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 11 1/2 cups dried fruit, nuts, seeds, unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut flakes, and/or chocolate chips, chopped if large
  • 11/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
  • 11/3 cup honey
  • 11/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 11/3 cup creamy nut butter (such as cashew, almond, or peanut)
  • 11 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Butter a 13x9" baking dish. Toss puffed cereals, oats, and dried fruits, nuts, seeds and/or coconut (all mix-ins except chocolate chips) in a large bowl with your hands to evenly distribute.

  2. Bring brown sugar, honey, salt, and 4 Tbsp. butter to a boil in a small saucepan and let cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in nut butter and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over puffed rice mixture and stir with a large rubber spatula until everything is evenly coated. If using chocolate chips, let mixture cool about 5 minutes before mixing in.

  3. Scrape mixture into prepared dish and press and compact down into an even layer with buttered hands. Let cool at least 1 hour before cutting into bars.

  4. Bars can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.