Starbucks Chewy Fruit and Nut Bars
photo by CookinDiva
- Ready In:
- 20mins
- Ingredients:
- 13
- Serves:
-
18
ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups crispy rice cereal (see note below)
- 1 cup dried apricot, chopped
- 1⁄2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 1⁄2 cup sliced almonds
- 1⁄2 cup pecan halves, chopped
- 1⁄2 cup golden raisin
- 1⁄4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
-
SYRUP MIXTURE
- 1⁄4 cup brown sugar
- 1⁄2 cup corn syrup or 1/2 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1⁄2 cup peanut butter
directions
- Ingredient note: look in your health food aisle for a healthy alternative to Rice Krispies. The brand I found is made by Enviro-Kidz and uses BROWN rice.
- Prepare 9x13 pan with non-stick spray (or line with parchment paper).
- In a large mixing bowl, toss all dry ingredients. Feel free to substitute your preferred nut or dried fruit.
- In a saucepan, combine brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and allow to boil one minute. (Note: boiling the sugars is what helps the bars become firm and not sticky, so this step is important).
- After boiling, turn off heat; add vanilla and peanut butter. QUICKLY pour this hot mixture over the dry ingredients and toss to combine.
- Pour warm mixture into prepared pan. Wet your fingers and press the mixture down into the pan to compress the bars so they will slice evenly.
- When cool, use a sharp knife to cut into 18 bars (1 long lengthwise cut and 9 cuts across). Enjoy with a hot cup of Starbucks coffee for an authentic experience!
- Note: Starbucks does not list corn syrup in their ingredients, but the sweetener in their list is not readily available. I tried using Maple Syrup, but the bars were very crumbly and would not stay together in bars. Therefore, I found that Corn Syrup is the best ingredient that is readily available.
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Reviews
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I made this recipe up last night and after spending loads on commercially made fruit and nut bars like TRIO and KIND (at over $1.25 EACH), I'll never have to buy them again! These are great for a boost of energy when you need it and easy to vacuum seal for on the go. I omitted the sunflower seeds, apricots and golden raisins and added walnuts, cashews, mango slices and chopped dates. These bars were DEVINE!!!! Will pick up nuts during sales, make these up, vacuum seal them and freeze them. Thanks for the recipe! Gonna try a tropical type next time with mango, pineapple, coconut and macadamia. YUMMY!<br/><br/>I had no trouble with them falling apart, but I did make sure to boil the syrup mixture for 1 minutes AND made sure to coat all of the ingredients with the syrup mixture. Be sure to only count the rapid boiling time, not the initial bubbling. Also when you put them in the pan, follow the step of wetting your fingers and packing them in the pan tightly. It does help bond them. I actually pulled up my sleeves and wet my whole hands and packed them in.
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I love this recipe, although I have made some changes. The first time I made it I followed the recipe, and it was too sweet and very crumbly. So, I eliminated the brown sugar and increased the honey and peanut butter to 3/4 cup each. I also baked them at 350 for about 10 minutes. They are wonderful, and my husband is devouring them!! ( I do substitute different fruits and nuts that I have on hand)
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These are delicious! I've made them three times and they were a little crumbly the second time. It could be that I didn't boil the sugar mixture long enough or that I was experimenting with the syrup component and used 1/2 honey and 1/2 corn syrup (I used only corn syrup the other times). I want to try it with agave and brown rice syrup to see how that will impact taste and how well they hold together. I've also only made it with almond butter so far and have gotten great results! Oh, one other thing: I skip the sunflower seeds and use sesame seeds that I toast up first. Instead of putting them in the mixture, I press them on the top after I've pressed the bars into the pan.
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I was primarily interested in this recipe because it allowed me to use ingredients I had left over from my Christmas cooking. Bought only oats and sunflower seeds. The next time I make it will be another reason entirely - it was great tasting! I think I will include it in my future Christmas food gifts. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
CookinDiva
Cincinnati, Ohio