No Bake Snack Bars with Cheerios

Prepare time: 10 min

Cook: 45 min

Ready in: 60 min

Ingredients:

·         3 cups of Hobey Nut Cheerios

·         1 cup of raisins

·         1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

·         ¼ cup of light brown sugar

·         ¼ cup of honey

·         ¼ cup of creamy unsalted butter, around half of a stick

·         Kosher salt or pinch sea salt for sprinkle

·         ½ cup of chocolate covered sunflower seeds

Directions:

·         1Take an 8-inch square pan and line it with an aluminum foil. Leave it overhang and then spray with cooking spray. Set aside. Use a large microwave safe mixing bowl and add brown sugar, honey, and butter. Mix them using a spoon and heat using high power for a minute. Stop when it melts. Take out the bowl from the microwave and stir. In this phase, the mixture will be more on the granular. It is alright.

·         2Return back the bowl into the microwave. Cook over high power for a minute and stop again. Stir the mixture, and return back the bowl into the microwave. Cook again over high power for just a minute and take it out. Stir the mixture and transfer the bowl back into the microwave. Heat over high power for another minute. Remove the bowl from the microwave. In this third phase, this mixture will be really hot and bubbly. Be careful so the caramel doesn’t cause burn on your skin.

·         3Add the vanilla and stir carefully because it can be bubblier. Add the Cheerios and raisins, and then stir until everything is mixed well. Transfer the mixture into the baking pans and make sure to spread on the entire surface. Make sure that you pack the snack bar down firmly using a spatula. Don’t forget to smooth the top. Sprinkle the salt and sunflower seeds evenly, and then cover the baking sheet with another foil to prevent smells in the fridge.

·         4Place the baking pans in the fridge to make sure the snack bars are well set up firmly. It should take at least 2 hours. You can refrigerate it for 3 hours or even overnight. When it is firm enough, take it out and slice it to any size you prefer. The snack bars are ready to serve.

Notes:

·         You can replace the raisins with 1 cup of trail mix, 1 cup of chopped almonds, or 1 cup of honey-roasted almonds.

·         The sunflower seeds and salt are optional

·         For a less sweet bar, you can another variety of Cheerios. Plain Cheerios will be a great alternative.

·         In alternative to honey, you can also use light colored corn syrup. It actually makes the snack bars firmer than when you use honey with it.

·         The snack bars can be kept in the fridge up to 2 weeks in an airtight container or bags. It stands for up to 6 months in the freezer. It is highly recommended to store the snack bars in the fridge because it tends to lose and soft when you keep it in room temperature.

Source  http://foodrecipesearch.com

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