Simple + sweet recipe for Peanut Butter Trail Mix Bars! Featuring wholesome ingredients (like brown rice cereal and nuts) and a healthy swap of coconut oil in place of butter.
PREP TRAY & MIX-IN’S: Line a 9 x 13” sheet tray with parchment paper. Place rice cereal, chopped almonds, dried cherries, and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl. Set aside.
MELT MARSHMALLOWS & PEANUT BUTTER: Melt coconut oil in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Once it has melted and begun to warm, add the marshmallows and peanut butter. Stir constantly using a nonstick spatula until melted down into a homogenous mixture. Should take only a few minutes or so. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
MIX THE TREATS: Pour sauce pan contents over bowl with cereal and mix-ins. Working quickly, stir until evenly coated. Use a spatula to pour out the cereal-marshmallow mixture onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Press lightly to distribute evenly to corners of tray, use a second sheet of parchment paper on top to press down with your palms and prevent getting the sticky mixture on your hands.
EAT THE TREATS: Allow to cool and set before cutting into 5 columns by 4 rows to create x20 rectangular bars. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, taking care to place a piece of parchment or wax paper in between any treats before stacking on top of one another to prevent sticking.
Notes
*Can swap for butter as preferred**If using already chopped toasted almonds, measure out about ½ cup instead of 1 cup. When chopped the whole almonds will measure out to about ½ cup. If you have raw almonds and want to toast them at home, you can either do so stovetop in a dry pan over medium-low heat until fragrant or you can toast them in the oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes.