What’s cooking? Chewy cereal bars (with a crunch)

It’s that time of the year when everyone spends much more time outside – whether you’re spending time at a cottage, hiking, camping or simply enjoying a BBQ outdoors or picnicking in the park.  Food for outdoor activities needs to be easy to transport so for this month’s Kraft Canada #whatscooking  assignment, I’m looking at portable snacks.

When it comes to snacks, it’s easy to grab packaged foods – granola bars are my favourite – but if you have time, it’s always better to make your own. I found this recipe for Chewy Granola Bars in the Camping and RV Food Ideas recipe collection and figured they would be perfect not just for camping and outdoor activities but also for the next few weeks (the last few weeks!) of school when I’m always looking for snacks to keep my energy up amidst the end of year activities.

Unlike most recipes for granola bars, these use Corn Flakes instead of oats and I loved the texture – a little bit crunchy from the Corn Flakes and chewy from the honey/ butter/ rice syrup combo. Tastes like a treat (reminds me of the Honey Joys of my childhood!) – but the addition of the seeds and nuts will keep you going a little longer.

Yield: 10 bars

Chewy cereal bars (with a crunch)

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Chewy cereal bars with a crunchy surprise ingredient.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 cups Corn Flakes
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• ¼ cup brown rice syrup
• ¼ cup runny honey
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ⅓ cup Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325˚F.
2. Prepare an 8" x 8" brownie tin - grease with some butter and line the bottom with parchment paper, allowing for a little overhang of the paper over the edges so you can easily life the bars out when they are cooked.
3. Combine corn flakes, fruit, nuts and seeds in a large bowl.
4. In a small saucepan, gently heat the brown rice syrup, honey and butter until it is liquid and well-combined.
5. Set aside to cool slightly.
6. Pour the brown rice syrup mix over the cornflakes and use a rubber spatula to mix well, making sure to distribute the liquid evenly through the mix.
7. Add the chocolate and mix to incorporate evenly through the mix.
8. Press the mixture into the prepared pan, packing it as tightly as you can (the mixture will be sticky, you might like to use a little oil on your hands so the cornflakes don't stick to them).
9. Bake for 25 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool completely in the tin.
10. Cut into bars with a long, sharp knife.
11. Store in airtight containers at room temperature.

did you make this recipe?

please leave a comment or review on the blog or share a photo and tag me on Instagram @eatlivtravwrite !

Verdict? I really enjoyed these bars – they tasted like a treat but they are not too sweet and are packed with nuts and seeds to they do satisfy you longer than, say, a Honey Joy 😉  I really liked the change of texture the Corn Flakes give too – and how they are crunchy and chewy at the same time.  I might even try 1/2 Corn Flakes, 1/2 oats sometime for a hybrid granola bar!

Disclosure: As a Kraft Canada #whatscooking contributor, I receive compensation for writing these posts, however, all opinions are 100% my own.