How to Make Healthy Snack Bars For Kids

Peanut Butter Snack Bars

Other nutrients to include in healthy snacks for kids are calcium for building bones, fiber pictured:

Recipe Summary Peanut Butter Snack Bars

These are Mike's favorite bars--a combination of energy bars, granola bars, and cereal bars. These can be adapted to your taste with fruits, nuts, seeds, chocolate, etc. Also, depending on your selection of ingredients, you can go 100% natural/organic.

Ingredients | Healthy Snack Bars For Kids

parchment paper

cooking spray

¾ cup chopped dark chocolate

2 cups rolled oats

¼ cup wheat germ

¼ cup flax seeds

1 cup crispy rice cereal

1 cup cornflake crumbs

¾ cup chopped smoke-flavored almonds

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup honey

½ cup creamy peanut butter

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons agave nectar

1 tablespoon canola oil

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Spread chocolate evenly over prepared baking dish.

Toast oats, wheat germ, and flax seed in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until oats are lightly golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer oat mixture to a large bowl and stir in crispy rice cereal, cornflake crumbs, almonds, and salt.

Heat honey, peanut butter, brown sugar, agave nectar, canola oil, and cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until mixture begins to bubble, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal mixture; gently stir until well mixed.

Spread peanut butter-cereal mixture into the baking dish. Place another sheet of parchment over the mixture and firmly press into the dish until even. Allow to completely cool before removing from baking dish and slicing.

Can use quick or old fashioned oats. You can skip the toasting step, but I find it adds a great flavor.

Can use either honey or Karo(R), or any combination of the two.

Can use maple syrup in place of the agave, if that is more your taste.

Instead of almonds and chocolate, can use 1 1/2 cups of any mixture of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or chips. Anything that might melt, should be sprinkled along the bottom of pan, otherwise it just melts and blends in when adding the peanut butter mix. Everything else can be mixed in the with oats.

Info | Healthy Snack Bars For Kids

prep: 20 mins cook: 10 mins additional: 30 mins total: 1 hr Servings: 24 Yield: 24 bars

TAG : Peanut Butter Snack Bars

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