Crispy & Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars

by Sabrina Snyder

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5 from 1 vote
16 bars
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
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Crispy & Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars are an easy and fun homemade snack packed with crunchy, chewy goodness. Perfect for on-the-go snacking!

Chewy Homemade Granola Bars and Trail Mix have always been the perfect, convenient Snacks. Now you can make your own at home with your favorite flavors, plus you can make a variety and satisfy everyone with these easy bars! Give my Granola Bars (No Bake, 5 Ingredients) a try too!

Granola bar with bars stacked in the background
Granola Bar dry ingredients
Granola with mix-ins
Granola mix in pan
close up of bar cut in pan

Sabrina’s Crispy & Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars Recipe

Let’s take a trip back to the 80s, when I was a little kid. I used to eat Kudos Bars, the chocolate chip ones were my favorite and the cookies and creme was a close second. Back then there wasn’t a huge variety of granola bars available in grocery stores. These days there are a dozen different companies making a huge variety of flavors. And so I went happily along buying granola bars for myself and my hubby to have with our lunches, not even thinking about making my own, until one day I saw one on Pinterest. Total light bulb moment! I could make them in any flavor I wanted, add in flax meal, go organic, no corn syrup… The possibilities were endless!

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Crispy & Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars Recipe

Crispy & Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars are an easy and fun homemade snack packed with crunchy, chewy goodness. Perfect for on-the-go snacking!
Yield 16 bars
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Granola bar with bars stacked in the background
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 2 1/2 cups Puffed Rice Cereal , (I use Organic Brown Rice Cereal from Whole Foods)
  • 1 1/4 cups regular oats
  • 1/4 cup ground flax seed
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup chopped pretzels
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup chunky peanut butter
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup Peanut Butter M&Ms

Instructions

  • Add cereal, oats, flax seed, raisins and pretzels into a bowl.
  • Stir to combine.
  • In a saucepan, add honey, brown sugar and salt.
  • Over medium heat, whisk until combined.
  • Let it come to a boil for 45 seconds.
  • Add in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.
  • Let the mixture cool for a couple of minutes since it is still so hot.
  • Add to the dry ingredients and combine.
  • Let cool again until you can add your M&Ms without them melting before mixing them in.
  • Grease a 9×13 pan and gently pat the mixture into the pan.
  • Refrigerate until it has firmed up.
  • At this point you can enjoy them chewy but we are looking for crispy and chewy, so we are going to bake them.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Take out of the fridge, flip tray upside down onto cutting board.
  • Cut in half lengthwise, then into bars of your choosing. I cut mine into 16 pieces.
  • Put onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
  • Let cool and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

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Note from Sabrina

For granola bars that stay crisp on the outside while remaining chewy in the center, firmly press the mixture into the pan using the bottom of a measuring cup or a piece of parchment paper. Compacting the mixture helps the bars hold together and prevents them from crumbling when sliced.

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About this Recipe

The best part is you can splurge on more expensive ingredients because even with whole honey roasted cashews from your favorite premium grocery store mixed in, you are still going to spend WAY less than you would on that 4-5 dollar box of granola bars that has 5 bars inside. On the flip side you can make these out of ANYTHING. Say you have a small handful of nuts left over, or leftover Halloween candy? Did another recipe use 85% of your bag of chocolate chips? This recipe can use any of those leftovers and make something delicious!

Ideas to Serve

These Crispy & Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars are perfect for busy mornings, afternoon snacks, or fueling outdoor adventures. Pair one with a cup of Greek yogurt and fresh berries for a balanced breakfast, or pack it alongside a banana and string cheese for an easy lunchbox treat. They’re also great to bring on road trips, hikes, camping trips, or after-school activities since they travel well and don’t require refrigeration. For a sweet afternoon pick-me-up, enjoy a bar with a hot cup of coffee, tea, or a cold glass of milk.

Variations

  • Chocolate Lovers: Stir in mini chocolate chips or drizzle the cooled bars with melted dark or milk chocolate.
  • Tropical: Swap some of the raisins for chopped dried pineapple, mango, or coconut flakes.
  • Mix-Ins: Mix in any size and flavor of M&M’s that you like (Peanut Butter are my favorite). You can even mix in crushed Oreds or graham cracker pieces.
  • Fall Spice: Add a teaspoon of cinnamon with a pinch of nutmeg for a warm, cozy flavor that’s perfect during the cooler months.
  • Berry Blend: Use dried cranberries, cherries, blueberries, or a combination of your favorite dried berries for a fruity twist.
  • Protein Boost: Stir in hemp hearts and/or chia seeds to add extra protein, fiber, and healthy fats.

More Delicious, Portable Snack Recipes

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About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Hello Sabrina, will these hold up without refrigeration? Meaning will they stay firm for consecutive days?
    Thanks

    Reply

    1. Sorry this comment took so long to get to, it ended up in my spam filter somehow! Yes, I’ve kept them for a couple of weeks 🙂

      Reply

  2. Yes yes yes! These are exactly what I’ve been looking for! Definitely pinning to make later. Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply

  3. I really wish I would have stumbled on this post sooner. I am going on a 30 mile hike tomorrow and this would have been perfect!

    Reply