Is it just me or does granola have some magical ingredient that makes you want to scarf down the entire box and then buy another? And what’s even stranger is there isn’t any chocolate buttercream smothered all over the granola. It’s oats, oil or butter (maybe that’s where my weakness lies…butter), honey, whatever you want to throw in it and if it was up to me…candy would be thrown in there too. (trail mix will have to take it’s place for now)
First measure out all of your ingredients. You’ll need 5 cups of granola (I used Quaker Oats & Honey because it’s simple and tasty and has little bits of slivered almonds), 1 cup trail mix, and 4 cups mini marshmallows.
For the trail mix, I used Trader Joe’s Trek Mix. It has dried cranberries, almonds and cashews. I decided against one with raisins because I know most of you are completely anti-raisin and it skeeves you out.
Mmmm tasty…but where’s the Snickers, Butterfingers and Milky Ways?
In a large saucepan, melt 5 Tablespoons of unsalted butter over medium low heat. Mmmm buttterrr. Add in the mini marshmallows and stir stir stir!
Cook them over medium low heat until they’re all melty. Yes I just used the word melty.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the granola. Stir stir stir again. I stir and fold everything together. It’s a bit harder to stir than say…rice krispies. But you have muscles I’m sure, so use them my friends.
Granola, marshmallows, butter….all we need now are some gummy bears, red ones.
But no, we’re going to be healthy! (kind of…ok not really) Throw in the trail mix! (and eat some on the side…you have no idea how tempted I am to add in some candy bars or rainbow sprinkles or red gummy bears)
Stir in the trail mix. Stir, fold, stir, fold…you get the point.
Take an 8 by 8 inch pan and lightly spray it with nonstick spray. Press the mixture evenly into the pan.
I want to sleep on this.
Once they’ve cooled, flip the pan over and then cut them into giant sized pieces. Enjoy! :)
Homemade Trail Mix Granola Bars Recipe
- 4 cups mini marshmallows
- 5 cups granola (I use Quaker Oats & Honey)
- 1 cup trail mix (I use Trader Joe’s Trek Mix – cashews, almonds and dried cranberries)
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
Measure out the mini marshmallows, trail mix, granola and set aside.
Melt the unsalted butter over medium-low heat in a large saucepan. Add the mini marshmallows. Stir until they’re melted. Remove from the heat.
Add in the granola. Stir to completely coat the granola with the mixture. It may be more difficult to stir than rice krispies but it’s worth it! Then add in the trail mix, stir to combine.
Put the mixture into a lightly greased 8 by 8 inch pan. Using a spatula evenly spread it out and pat it down.
Cut into squares. Enjoy!
Tips:
The marshmallow treats are best when eaten right away.
To store: wrap each one individually in plastic wrap
These bars do firm up overtime. If you want the Trail Mix Granola Bars to be gooey like when you first made them, put the marshmallow treat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds on high.