My whole family loves granola, especially my husband. But up until this year, I didn’t realize just how easy it was to make. (If you are looking for a great recipe, check out my homemade Berry Granola recipe on my other blog.) So when General Mills sent me a summer roadtrip snack map and listed a recipe for Take Along Oatmeal Bars in my home state of Minnesota, I thought it would be fun to try them out.
Ironically the week I made them was the same week my brother-in-law and his family were vacationing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). They spent 5 days there and I bet they would have loved a snack like this! (Although their guide, another family member, probably would have vetoed them as he packs very light.)
They turned out a bit sweeter than I was expecting but they were delicious! My middle son Warren couldn’t resist stealing some any chance he got. And would you believe they are actually made with Wheaties cereal? I hadn’t had them in ages but found them super tasty in the morning with some fresh berries or in the evening as a little snack. My one year old actually loved them as a welcome change from Cheerios and gobbled the flakes up for breakfast.
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup butter or margarine
- ⅓ cup honey
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup diced dried fruit and raisin mixture
- 2 cups Wheaties® cereal
- 1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- Grease bottom and sides of 8 or 9 inch square pan with a little butter.
- Using a 3-quart saucepan, melt sugar, butter, honey and cinnamon to boiling over medium heat, making sure to stir constantly. Boil 1 minute, stille stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
- Carefully stir in dried fruit. Stir in cereal, oats and almonds
- Press mixture in pan, using the back of a wooden spoon to press down evenly. Cool completely, at minimum 30 minutes. (Bars may fall apart otherwise.) For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows or cut into smaller, squares if desired. Store loosely covered at room temperature.
The only thing I’ll recommend with this recipe is to do small, bite sized squares instead of a full bar. Because these aren’t baked, they aren’t sturdy like traditional granola bars and can fall apart. And if you don’t like very sweet things, consider reducing the amount of sugar.
You can check out the entire map with links to snack recipes on the Hello Cereal Lovers Tumblr page.
There you will find 39 fun snack ideas with cereal, all perfect for road tripping! Happy travels, cereal lovers!
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Disclosure: I do have a relationship with General Mills however this post is not sponsored in any way. I paid for the ingredients to make this recipe myself and I’m not being compensated for the post. I just thought the recipe looked tasty and wanted to share.
Feli says
July 23, 2013 at 9:32 amThese look delicious and like something the boys would love.
Renee says
July 23, 2013 at 9:44 amI love that these look super easy to make. I will have to give these a try in place of store bought granola bars!
Tiffany Schmidt says
July 23, 2013 at 2:47 pmOh my gosh. These are picture perfect. They look delicious!
Janet W. says
July 24, 2013 at 5:46 amI’d love to try this recipe! It looks delicious!! Perfect snack for on the go!
Robin O says
July 24, 2013 at 7:20 amI like that you use Wheaties to make these. We always need healthy snacks on the go. Thanks for the recipe!
erin says
July 24, 2013 at 7:52 amI have yet to make my own granola bars, but yours look great!
vickie couturier says
July 24, 2013 at 12:09 pmthose really do look good an doesn’t sound too hard to make,,ive never tried making my own before
Sarah L says
July 24, 2013 at 10:45 pmThose look easy enough to make and you know just what is in them.
Rachael Perry says
July 25, 2013 at 2:06 amI’ve actually been looking for a healthy snack to have at work. I think I will have to give your granola bar recipe a try – it looks fairly easy to make!
Elena says
July 26, 2013 at 9:55 amLooks yummy and healthy. Thank you!
Mer says
July 26, 2013 at 12:41 pmYum! Making my own snack bars sounds easy and delicious.
Cynthia C says
July 27, 2013 at 6:43 amI’ve made my own granola but never bars. They look delicious!
Amy Orvin says
July 27, 2013 at 7:12 amI am always looking for fast breakfast ideas. This would be great!
Betsy Barnes says
July 27, 2013 at 10:42 amThese look so good, never thought about making my own granola bars, but going to give it a try 🙂
Rosie says
July 27, 2013 at 1:26 pmthese look super! I love to create and invent my own health bars, some baked and some no-cook! Some come out better than others, but I always eat them, and they are so much fun!
Miranda M says
July 28, 2013 at 3:02 amThat looks really good! I like that you know exactly whats going in them, they’re affordable and tasty, and not hard to make.
Cara Daymude says
July 28, 2013 at 2:21 pmNice post always looking for oatmeal recipes for my hubbby.
Sarah L says
July 28, 2013 at 10:40 pmWhen you make these you know exactly what’s in them (and what’s NOT), unlike store bought ones.
Meg Tucker says
July 29, 2013 at 6:38 amI am so hungry and need to go to the grocery store. I better eat something and quit drooling on my keyboard! I would def. make these !!
Christine says
July 29, 2013 at 11:10 amThat looks delicious & healthy.
Shakeeta W says
July 29, 2013 at 2:34 pmThese look tasty! I’ve been looking for a different snack for the kids and I think I just found it 🙂
Gianna says
July 29, 2013 at 3:28 pmThis sounds so good.
Jennie Sanderson (@jenpsht) says
July 29, 2013 at 4:11 pmThose look so good and you made it look so much easier than I thought it was
Jen C says
July 29, 2013 at 4:52 pmWow! These look yummy! The almonds are a great addition!
Merry says
July 29, 2013 at 6:07 pmThese look yummy and healthy. My whole family would love these!
Jennifer @ Mom Spotted says
July 29, 2013 at 10:04 pmI should really try this as granola bars are one of the only prepackaged snacks I’m still eating.
Sandy VanHoey says
July 30, 2013 at 5:50 amI am not big on granola but my daughter is. I should surprise her with making these to carry with her to work
Erin says
July 30, 2013 at 9:40 amHi! We don’t do cereal in our house. Could you recommend something to replace the Wheaties that would still get them to hold together? Could I just use more oats, maybe processed a bit in the food processor? Thanks!
Meg Tucker says
July 31, 2013 at 7:02 amI came back to tell you I made these!!!!!!!! I added in some walnuts and mini choc. chips ( hehehe) and I couldn’t call them Take Along Bars because they didn’t last the night! SO GOOD!! Thank you so much!!
Jessica Lodge says
August 5, 2013 at 12:44 amWhat a great recipe. I am trying to find lower sugar snacks for my son as he’s suppose to be watching his sugar intake. I think I will try to substitute agave nectar for the sugar and see how it turns out. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Jean says
August 5, 2013 at 12:16 pmI am trying these for sure (though I will probably vary the ingredients to suit my family’s nut and fruit tastes). I’ve been meaning to try making my own granola bars as a way to save money and improve nutrition. Thanks for the inspiration!
Julie Wood says
August 6, 2013 at 9:17 amThis is a great recipe and looks so delicious. I like that I can make these and take them with me. They look so easy to make, and oatmeal is my favorite cereal to eat. Thanks for the recipe.
judy gardner says
August 7, 2013 at 12:06 ami have never made homemade granola bars, but i bet these are much better than store bought!
Jerri Davis says
August 8, 2013 at 12:07 pmWow those look wonderful in the pan. Thank you, Jerri Davis
Richard Hicks says
August 9, 2013 at 2:48 amThese look like something you might buy at the grocer! I have to try this recipe out as they are healthy!
Susan Smith says
August 9, 2013 at 8:56 amThese look yummy, I have never thought about making my own fruit bars but I love that I can put in the fruits and nuts that want to.
Tiffany Schmidt says
August 12, 2013 at 2:19 pmSo I tried these this weekend! They don’t look as pretty as yours, but they were pretty easy, and delicious. Packing for everyone’s lunches this week!
Tanya Rubezhov says
August 13, 2013 at 11:23 pmI love this!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Michelle Hudak says
August 18, 2013 at 1:03 amMy daughter would love this….she could take it on the bus with her in the morning
Toni Marie Caravello (Feimer) says
August 18, 2013 at 8:52 amNever thought of making my own granola bars… thought it would be too hard I guess. This looks super easy and I can substitute some of the ingredients to suit my diet. Thanks so much.
Wendi S says
August 18, 2013 at 1:36 pmWhen I had babies I was worried about what they ate, but had so much problems with allergies and reflux I got to the point where I just wanted them to eat anything without throwing up. Now we are all doing better I am concerned about nutrition. Thanks so much for the healthy recipe.
Wendi S says
August 19, 2013 at 10:27 amI like the above recipe but I was very surprised looking in to the map at how many ideas there are for cereal snack.
kathy pease says
August 19, 2013 at 2:56 pmThese look so good and I will definitely be trying these when I go shopping this week..Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
Sarah L says
August 22, 2013 at 12:52 amI think I’ll make some for our road trip to Santa Fe this weekend. Yum.
Lily Kwan says
August 23, 2013 at 1:29 amThis recipe looks very tasty. Thanks for sharing!
Mariaelena Dominguez says
October 7, 2013 at 11:16 amThese looks delicious! I’m going to try it!
judy gardner says
November 4, 2013 at 8:51 pmthese look and sound really good! i would not have thought to put wheaties cereal in granola, but it sounds good.