This recipe is a perfect mix of salty nuts with a sweet twist of honey and chocolate. Yum!
WARNING YOU NOW – these are really addictive. I’ve been making batches of these for months… they are so good, I just can’t stop!
When I started working on this recipe I used the Sweet & Salty granola bars from Nature Valley as my target. I have always thought the mix of sweet and salty was genius, kudos to them for thinking it up. The great part about making them at home, is you control what goes into them. If you can’t use nuts, substitute another salty item like pretzels. Don’t like chocolate (whaaaaat?) then add in dates, raisins or dried cherries. Make them you’re own, the kids will love them!
In the latest issue of EatInEatOut™ Magazine I called these “Breakfast” bars, because they fit so perfectly within a grab-and-go breakfast story. They are a simple no-bake, make-ahead bar that you can eat on the run or munch when you need that energy boost mid-afternoon. I loved them so much, I put them on the cover! If you missed the Autumn 2015 issue, make sure you take a look, it’s packed with simple and tasty 30-minute meals to ease the back-to-school meal-time rush. Just Click HERE.
To keep them healthy for kids in the morning I left these Sweet and Salty Granola Bars plain. But just between us… I love them best when they’re drizzled with drippy warmed chocolate…
You decide… plain or drizzled… perfect either way!
Sweet and Salty Granola Bars
EMAIL Recipe Share on FacebookIngredients
- ½ cup almond butter
- 4 Tbsp coconut oil
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup honey
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups whole flaked rolled oats
- 2 cups puffed rice cereal
- ¼ cup salted peanuts
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare an 8” x 8” pan (a larger pan will make thinner bars) by lining it with parchment that extends over the sides of pan. Spray with cooking spray.
- In a small pan over medium heat, melt almond butter, coconut oil, brown sugar and honey, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a simmer, add vanilla and allow to simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Add oatmeal to another saucepan. Over medium-high heat, stir it constantly for 2-3 minutes until toasted and a popcorn smell starts to appear. Don't over cook, and don't stop stirring or it will burn. Set aside to cool a bit.
- In a large bowl combine toasted oats and puffed rice cereal. Pour slightly cooled almond butter mixture over top and stir to coat. When this mixture is no longer warm to the touch, add peanuts, almonds and chocolate chips.
- Press mixture the prepared pan. It will be sticky, so place a piece of saran wrap over top and use the bottom of a glass to press mixture down very firmly. Chill for at least an hour before cutting into bars.
OPTIONAL: drizzle with melted chocolate to finish.
I tried this recipe to mimic the Nature valley protein bars, so I used Sunflower and Pumpkin seeds instead of choc drops. I also didn’t have coconut oil and used Sunflower oil instead. I resulting mixture tasted heavenly but I was so disappointed that the bars just didn’t stick together- it ended up more of a gooey granola than bars. I think this may have been because of temperature vegetable oil, maybe doesn’t help it a tick together as well as coconut oil?
Hi Gabi, you have to use coconut oil. You may have seen it in a jar, it is a solid consistency, not liquid like vegetable oil. Any type of regular oil will just remain gooey. Go out and get yourself some coconut oil and give it another try… So yummy!
Hi Lori, thanks I did try with coconut oil and the result was amazing! Really delicious, will be making these again 🙂
Hi there! Thanks for posting recipe. My kids love the sweet and salty granola bars from nature valley. I put them in their lunch boxes and I’m excited to try a healthier alternative. Just wondering if you can help me come up with a recipe to duplicate the coating on the almond bars. I think that provides a lot of the sweetness the kids love. So maybe I can cut into bars and then dip them in something to give it that extra “je ne sais quoi”.
Hi Melanie, I’m so glad you love these bars, I do too! Why don’t you try dipping them in a simple Almond Frosting (3 Tbsp hot water, 1-2 tsp almond extract, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp salt, 2-3 cups powdered sugar)
This recipe was delicious. However, mine did not stay together very well when I cut into them. I followed the recipe exactly. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Maybe your measurement of the nut butter was a bit low.
Oh please ….just use honey ,maple syrup or light KARO syrup into the mix
So excited to try this recipe today for my uncle’s 50th Birthday gift! I was wondering if you could use any nut butter, or does almond work the best? Thanks!
Any nut butter should work.
OOOOH! I am addicted to the Sweet & Salty Bars (from the comments, it looks like I’m not the only one, lol) which is how I ended up here o this page! I was gifted a package of Nature Valley Toasted Oat Muesli, with dried berries, so I was originally looking for a recipe I could use that in, but I think I’m going to make these first with my regular oatmeal, then use the muesli for another batch & swap out the chocolate & add in more dried fruit. I’m thinking craisins, dried blueberries & dried cherries
Hi,
I made these with peanut butter and fully peanuts instead of almonds. Came out nice and crispy and held together. Thank you for a good recipe. Next time though, I want to cut off the 1/4 cup brown sugar and try to make it because it was too sweet for us. (Almost dessert like) 🙂
Hey..can i use regular butter instead of almond butter and uik cooking oats instead f rolled oats??
You can sub peanut butter for the almond butter.
I chilled mine for about 2 hours before I attempted to cut them into bars, but they just crumbled. Because I can’t find rice cereal abroad where I live, I used 4 cups of oatmeal. But everything else was followed in the recipe. I will try leaving it longer in the fridge, but my mix was not very sticky to begin with (like you said when it goes in the pan) so I’m wondering if something went wrong there.
Nope. Don’t use oatmeal it absorbs too much liquid and makes them dry. Try any prepared cereal.
I made these using puffed quinoa and while delicious, didn’t really hold together. I’d like to try again – in fact my daughter and husband have asked for them haha. So… is “puffed rice” and rice crisps the same thing? I’m in Canada and feel like puffed rice is larger and doesn’t look like this is what you used. Can you clarify what brand of puffed rice was in this recipe and maybe I can find a comparable? Thank you.
I’m in Canada too! I used “rice Krispies” cereal.
Made them and came out perfect. Only question is how do you store them?
Tastes wonderful, but totally crumbles, followed the recipe