Hawaiian Energy Bars

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My sister-in-law shared her delicious energy bar recipe with me. She would make these during the holidays for us, but seeing that we have not been back to Hawaii for almost a year and a half now, I'm missing these so much that I decided to whip up a batch myself. I even wrapped them individually in wax paper just like they do in Hawaii.

This is a perfect recipe to make during the hot summer months because no oven or stove top is needed.

Just a large bowl and a microwave works perfectly.

Make sure you do use a LARGE bowl because when marshmallows get microwaved, they puff up quite A LOT!!!


Add peanut butter, butter, & marshmallows to large bowl

Microwave 2 minutes and mix well

Add quick oats, cereal, and cranberries. Mix well

Pour into a tray lined with parchment paper

Using another piece of parchment, press down on the mixture until compact and evenly spread out in the tray

Allow to cool for 1 hour

Cut into bars. Wrap individually and store in an air tight container for up to 5 days.

Note 1: My sister in law's recipe uses a WHOLE bag of 10oz marshmallows as well as rice krispies instead of chex cereal, and she adds sunflower seeds. I wanted mine less sweet, so I used only half a bag, and then added a tablespoon of honey to make up for the loss of stickiness from the reduced marshmallows.

Note 2: Make sure to use old fashioned oats. These are oats that have been steamed and rolled to flakes. Here's a good article on all the different oats.

Yields 12 bars

Ingredients:

  • 2 c oatmeal (old fashioned, also known as quick oats)
  • 3 cups chex cereal (or rice krispies)
  • 1 c dried cranberries (or raisins)
  • ½ block unsalted butter (4 T)
  • ½ c peanut butter (extra chunky)
  • 5 oz marshmallows (½ of a normal 10oz bag)
  • 1 T honey
  • ½ c unsalted peanuts, sunflower seeds, or nuts of your choice (optional)

Procedures:

1. In a LARGE bowl combine butter, peanut butter, honey and marshmallows. Yes, a very large bowl is needed.

2. Microwave for approximately 2 minutes. Do 1 minute first, then mix and do two 30 second intervals until everything is melted. Mix to blend.

3. Add dry ingredients (quick oats, chex cereal, dried cranberries and seeds or nuts if using). Mix well.

4. While still warm, pour into 9x13 in pan lined with parchment paper. Press down using another piece of parchment paper. You can use your hands too, but the parchment paper will make it easier to press and flatten uniformly. Allow to cool for 1 hour, then cut into bars. Wrap each bar individually with wax paper if desired and store in an air tight container. Good for 5 days at room temp.