I don’t know how breakfast unfolds at your house, but my kids are cereal addicts. My youngest would eat cereal for every meal if he could. Inevitably, I end up with a collection of cereal leftovers that are deemed unworthy for breakfast. “Oh, I don’t like that one anymore.” Sound familiar? 🤦🏻♀️ And, yes, I preach to them about hungry kids around the world and food waste. Eventually, they reluctantly add a few spoons of the offending cereal to their bowls and then hide the rest in the back of the cupboard.
As I have a problem with throwing out food that’s perfectly fine, I make these Jumble Granola Bars using whatever tidbits of unwanted cereal I come across in the dark depths of said cereal cupboard. The funny thing is, they LOVE these jumble bars. Little do they know 😏...
Ingredients for 12 bars
1 cup quick oats, if using rolled oats toast @350F (180C) for 7-8 minutes
2 cups cereal, whatever you are trying to clear out
1/4 cup nuts and/or seeds (optional), we used slivered almonds and pumpkin seeds
1/4 cups flax meal (optional brain booster!)
1/4 cup butter, unsalted
1//4 cup honey, maple syrup or golden syrup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup dark chocolate, melted
Combine the oats, cereal, nuts and flax meal in a large bowl.
In a saucepan, combine the butter, honey, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Add the butter mixture to the cereal mixture, combine until everything is covered in the syrupy glaze. Transfer the mixture into an 8”x6” (20x15cm) baking dish or sheet pan. If you have a larger pan, just smoosh it all to one side, it will hold its shape. Pat down with a spatula, or your hand, until it’s at least 3/4-inch (2cm) thick. Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature.
Melt the chocolate in 30 second increments in the microwave, or in a Bain Marie - over a bowl of simmering water. Use a teaspoon to drizzle the chocolate over the mixture. When the chocolate has hardened cut into bars. Will keep for a week in an airtight container, but probably will be gone in a day or two!
