Chewy Funfetti Granola Bars
Chewy funfetti granola bars are filled with funfetti flavor and tons of rainbow sprinkles – no baking required. Add them to your kids' lunch for a fun back to school snack!
As you may or may not know, I do not have kids. Don't have them, and really not looking to. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to load your kid up with some funfetti granola bars to make them the cool kid at the lunch table, and – by proxy – make you the coolest parent at their school.
I wouldn't call these healthy, but I also wouldn't call them junk food. I like to think of them straddling that line with one foot on either side. The worst things in here are a little funfetti cake mix and white chocolate chips, but if the white chocolate bothers you it can be left out.
The cake mix, however, can not. It's what makes them funfetti flavored!
They're made with cashew butter, so that helps avoid the whole peanut allergy issue I hear so much about these days. Again, I don't have kids so I'm kinda out of touch. When I was in school, if you had an allergy to something it was your own problem and not every one else's. I mean, I couldn't even tell you if anyone at my school HAD a peanut allergy, because it wasn't a topic of conversation.
Don't get me wrong – I'm glad that we're getting community more involved in keeping the kids safe and all, but I feel like some circumstances take it a little bit far. But as for what's being shared between your kid and another at the lunch table? I'm guessing kids don't carry around a list of ingredients with a nutrition label for everything they eat, so let's play it safe.
This dough is very thick, so you're probably going to need to use your hands to get in there and really combine the ingredients together.
Here's a picture of what it looks like before the funfetti cake mix and white chocolate chips were added:
Soooooooooo, didn't realize I used my middle finger for that shot until I went in to edit it. Regardless of my finger choice, you can see how thick the batter is and how it'll set up on its own without baking.
… sorry?
Don't you agree that sprinkles just make everything better? Of course you do. Because they totally do.
Case in point, that batter looked mighty boring, but once sprinkles were added they become this magical and colorful dough that begs to be eaten.
The more sprinkles the better, I say. It's in the funfetti mix, but I want them to be pronounced so I had even more.
And then I add more on top after they've been pressed into the pan, because… sprinkles.
How could you pass this up?
I'll tell you how. There's a guy in my office who, when offered one of these treasures, said, “I don't like white chocolate. It's not real chocolate.”
YOU MAY SEE YOURSELF OUT, SIR. GOOD DAY.
Even my dog wanted in on these. Penny was so excited at the thought of a taste that she was foaming at the mouth.
No, really – she actually foams at the mouth when she gets excited, and makes everyone think she has rabies. It's a fun party trick… or something.
But she was so excited to try these, she smacked the pan with her paw. Want to know what it looks like when you're taking a picture of funfetti granola bars on a baking sheet and it starts to go flying?
There you have it. In all its glory.
To be clear, she didn't actually get any. Thankfully I had my camera strap wrapped around my arm so I let it go and grabbed the sheet with both hands before it became dog food. And cat food, actually, because one of them was sitting right next to her when it happened. I'm convinced he was egging her on.
So anyway, go make these and be the cool parent. Or make them and keep them in your desk at work and don't tell your kids they exist.
The choice is yours (and I totally respect option number two).
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Chewy Funfetti Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups raw cashews
- 1 ¼ cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 ¼ cup cashew butter
- ¾ cup funfetti cake mix
- ¼ cup raw honey, warmed in microwave for 10 seconds
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup premium white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
- ½ cup rainbow sprinkles, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Prep an 8×8 dish with parchment paper, with the sides hanging over the edge for easy release. Set aside.
- In a food processor, pulse cashews a few times until it forms small chunks. You don't want to have cashew dust, you just want them in smaller pieces.1 1/3 cups (172 g) raw cashews
- In a large bowl, combine cashews, rolled outs, cashew butter, cake mix, honey and vanilla extract and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. It'll be thick, so use your hands if you have to!1 1/4 cups (101 ¼ g) old fashioned rolled oats1 1/4 cup (320 g) cashew butter3/4 cup (90 g) funfetti cake mix1/4 cup (84 ¾ g) raw honey1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add white chocolate and sprinkles and stir again to combine.1/2 cup (90 g) premium white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate1/2 cup (80 g) rainbow sprinkles
- Press mixture into prepared dish and use your hands or the back of a measuring cup (my personal favorite method) to even out the top.
- Place in the fridge to set for an hour. Cut into as many slices as you want (I like to cut them into 16 bars) and wrap them each in plastic wrap. Stick them in your kid's lunch bag (or your own!) and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is generated by an automatic API and does not take variations across specific brands into account. This information is provided as a general guideline and should not be treated as official calculations. Learn more here.
omg these look amaaaaazing! You’re right too: as a mom of 2, my boys would be the envy of all kids if they showed up at school (when it’s back) with these in their lunch ;) thanks for this!!
Hope you and yours like them!
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Sprinkles are basically a food group in my kitchen, so I naturally love these. What a bright and festive way to start the day!
Yum! This looks like the perfect way to end the week. And I love how easy these bars are to make!
What a fun recipe! My daughter would love to open her school lunch and have one of these inside! Cool parent status for sure. :)
I like your description of these being in the middle of healthy and junk food. The perfect treat for when I’m looking for something sweet!
This looks like so much fun to make, especially for the kids! And the funfetti makes boring granola bars that much more appealing :)
You’re so lucky you caught the pan in time. I’ve actually stopped using my strap, but this is a good reminder to put it back on. I bet your dog couldn’t resist the smell. Cashew butter, oats, honey & vanilla is such a yummy combo. :)
I so so love brightly colored sprinkles (and did even before they started calling it “funfetti!”) Those are so pretty.
My lil one would love this. So colorful and pretty. Perfect back to school treat.
These look so cute – no need to just give them to kids! My 6 year old daughter would definitely love helping to make them!
What a cute back to school treat! I imagine they would taste a bit like cookie dough!
I do have one question, Is part of the recipe missing? Uncooked cake mix is supposed to be heat treated to avoid E Coli and I don’t see that covered in your recipe card. (Says the rebel who only eats steak medium rare.)
No, nothing is missing. I don’t feel strongly about that prcocess, but if you do you can certainly heat it at 350F on a baking sheet for 5 minutes and letting it cool prior to adding it to the batter if you’d like.
Nice Leslie!! If this was in my lunch box during lunchtime as a kid, I would probably go straight for these. I think it’s a great idea that you added the funfetti part with the sprinkles. Kids seem to be drawn towards that colourful stuff.
I have printed this off to make with the grandkids next week. They have been here 2 days a week all summer long. We have been making fun treats together, and this will be the next one on the list. Perfect for ALL the snacks they like to eat.
How freakin’ cute are these? I just love granola bars, but the sprinkles take them to another (fun) level! These would make for a lovely start to the week for sure :)