Skip the box and whip up a batch of delicious granola bars at home! These chewy rainbow chip granola bars are so quick and easy, they’re as much fun to make as they are to eat!
I’m the kind of person who prefers chocolate chips to chocolate bars, rainbow sprinkles to boring chocolate brown sprinkles, and colorful eats of all kinds over dull monotone plates-o-food. So naturally rainbow chip sprinkles are MY FAVORITE!
While they’re certainly no match for the colorful veggies I’m always pandering on this little blog of mine, they scream celebration, nostalgia, and fun. They’re edible exclamation points! How could I not adore them!? They put the FUN in funfetti!
I love them so much, in fact, that the entire reason I made these granola bars was to have a delivery mechanism for my beloved candy-coated chocolate morsels. I spotted them online a few weeks ago while browsing baking supplies and I may or may not have squealed. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had seen them outside of their rainbow chip frosting and cosmic brownie partnerships and had. to. have. them.
Chewy No-Bake Rainbow Chip Granola Bars
They arrived a few days later, tucked in a little brown box with my hippie unbleached parchment paper and all-natural magnesium supplements. Oh the hypocrisy of that purchase.
I regret nothing.
So while you can use any chocolate chips you’d like for these super tasty granola bars, I simply must insist that you go full jazz hands with the rainbow chips. They’re just so stinkin’ fun!
Besides, it’s totally road-trip season which will promptly be followed by back to season, which means these will totally come in handy. I could keep listing reasons you need these granola bars in your face or simply toss the recipe atcha. Let’s get on with the show!
Chewy No-Bake Rainbow Chip Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 6 TBSP unsalted butter
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 TBSP brown sugar
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp sea salt plus extra to taste
- 2 cups quick-cooking or instant oats
- 2 cups crispy rice cereal [like Rice Krispies]
- ¼ cup flax meal or wheat germ
- 2 TBSP mini chocolate chips
- 3-4 TBSP rainbow chips
Instructions
- For easy clean-up, line a 9x9 square baking dish with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Set aside.
- Bring a saucepan to medium heat and melt your butter.
- For a boost of sweet, nutty flavor, brown the butter by taking an extra few minutes to let the butter bubble into golden perfection. To brown, add an extra few minutes to the cook time of the recipe and whisk the butter occasionally until the butter starts to bubble, then whisk constantly until brown flecks form and butter begins to smell amazing. The smell of brown butter reminds me of freshly baked cookies or warm caramel, I LOVE it!
- After melting [and/or browning!] the butter, add your maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and sea salt and stir to mix.
- Turn heat to low, simmer until bubbly, then whisk and remove from heat.
- Next add the flax, oats, and cereal and stir until the dry ingredients are fully coated.
- Fold in your chocolate chips and pour into your foil-lined baking dish.
- Using a spatula, press the mixture until well-compacted, then top with rainbow chip sprinkles.
- Gently press sprinkles into the granola square and cover pan with a sheet of foil.
- Chill in fridge for 1-2 hours, this will help the bars cool and set.
- Remove from pan using foil/parchment and transfer to a cutting board.
- Cut into rectangular bars or squares and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
For a gloriously gluten-free treat, simply ensure that your oats are GF-certified and you’re good to go!
Psst wanna know a secret? These chewy snack bars are freezer friendly. You read that right, freezer-friendly! It turns out frozen granola bars are AWESOME and you simply must try at least one straight from the freezer! If you’re a fan of frozen candy bars or chocolates then you’ll love it! I split my first batch between the fridge and freezer and had fully intended to do the same with batch #2 until my friends (and their super-excited kiddos) got ahold of them.
These colorful treats vanished FAST!
My bars are falling apart. Did I do something wrong? Tastes yummy though!
Hey Claire! They could fall apart for two reasons. Ingredient swaps and not enough chill time. How long did you let them cool in the fridge first before cutting? They may need a little more time before digging in. Happy to help troubleshoot! xo
Hi, I can’t wait to make these for my kids! But is there something I can use in place of brown sugar my daughter can’t have sugar ?
Hi Ashley! I don’t have much experience with alternate sweeteners aside from honey, dates, and maple syrup but I’m sure you could certainly experiment! The rainbow chips themselves are made with a candy-coating so I’m thinking a recipe like this one that is sweetened with dates and pure maple syrup would be an excellent place to start! xoxo
Ok perfect! Thank you. I will give that one a try. I’m still going to make this one for my other 3 kids ?
These look great! Could golden syrup or honey be used as a substitute for the maple syrup? Maple syrup is tragically expensive in New Zealand!
Hey Aimee! What’s the cost of brown rice syrup there? I know that’s suuuuuuper popular in granola bars (I couldn’t find any here so I’ve been holding off but I totally want to try it!) Either golden syrup or more honey will work – I’d probably vote golden syrup if you like it just because too much extra honey in the recipe makes the entire thing taste like straight up honey.
Thanks Jenn! I didn’t know that about brown rice syrup! I might have a look for it. Otherwise golden syrup it is! Excited about trying this recipe! =)
So excited for yo to try it Aimee! 🙂 My 3 year old is OBSESSED with these rainbow bars! (ok fine, I am too haha!)
The sprinkles are Wilton which processes with peanuts and tree nuts. Be careful of these if you are tree nut/peanut allergic.
So good to know Allison – thank you!
On the brown sugar: is it two TBSP or 2 cups? What is a “TBSP cup?”
A TBSP cup is what happens when I lose my mind! I don’t even know how I miss that — thanks for catching it Rachel! It’s a TBSP, off to fix it and hide under the bed in shame lol! 😉
Those rainbow sprinkles look amazing!! LOVE these! Pinning 🙂
Rainbow chips?! Best thing ever! Can’t wait to get my hands on these for my rainbow sprinkled treats!
A NUT-FREE GRANOLA BAR!
I love you.
I love the rainbow chips! What a great fun snack, perfect for little ones and adults alike. I would gobble these up so fast! Thanks for sharing!
My inner child wants to eat these right now!! 😉
Oh my – how so very pretty! And I love the recipe too, no bake is high up on my favourite lists for quick and easy snacks this summer. Obviously with rainbow chips they rock that little bit more than without 🙂
Thanks Laura! No-Bake is def where it’s at right now! It’s too hot to touch the oven and too Summery to stay away from the sprinkles 😉
These look adorable and delicious!! I’ve gotten in serious fights with my husband about how stupid chocolate sprinkles are. They’re ugly and don’t even taste like chocolate!!
Haha I’m with you! These are the only “sprinkles” that have that chocolate oompf! I may or may not have been caught scarfing a handful of these on multiple occasions 😉