Copycat Kudos Granola Bars (EASY and healthier!)

May 25, 2022 · Natalie 21 Comments

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Homemade healthier chocolate chip Kudos Granola Bars a.k.a. the EASIEST snack recipe ever! Just 5 ingredients and endless yummy variations!

Chewy, chocolate-drizzled snack trip back to the 90s, you in? Either you read that title and were instantly jolted with sticky cereal bar nostalgia, or you’ve never heard of such a snack and you only kept reading because you like idea of easy oat-y granola bars dipped in dark chocolate. Whichever group you fall into, I’m excited you’re here and I am excited to share this ultra easy snack recipe with you.

How To: Homemade Kudos Bars

You may remember the original store-bought bars came in a few flavors –m&m, peanut butter, snickers, and chocolate chip. I wasn’t much of a nuts-in-my-desserts kinda kid so m&m or chocolate chip were the only ones I cared about. I opted for chocolate chip for this DIY version, but you could easily adapt with other mix-ins or even freestyle with dried fruit or other nuts/seeds etc.

Easy 5 Ingredient Granola Bars

Nostalgia aside, this recipe really can be a template for any kind of baked granola bar your heart desires. Vegan and gluten-free, made with just five simple ingredients:

Crispy rice cereal. Toasted not puffed, don’t sub it unless you want soggy bars. I personally use this brown rice cereal, but good ol’ Rice Krispies will work too.
Quick oats. Rolled oats would be okay too, but the slightly smaller size of quick oats is the perfect texture for this recipe.
Sweetened condensed coconut milk. This is the only “weird” ingredient on the list, but its also the key ingredient that makes these bars so easy and sticky and good. The dairy-free version of sweetened condensed milk, this acts as the sweetener and binder in this recipe so you don’t need any nut butter or maple syrup or coconut oil etc.
Salt. Any sweet snack bar needs a heavy pinch of salt.
Chocolate chips. I recommend minis for folding into the bars, but any kind will work for the melting and dipping/drizzling.

Tips for the Perfect Bars

Heat the coconut milk until just boiling, mix with the cereal, and then LET IT COOL. Emphasis on the cooling step, otherwise all the chocolate chips will melt. Since this milk is coconut based, there will be some chunks in the can, so heating and whisking works best to get it smooth. You could try blending the milk instead of heating if you are in a hurry, but heating will mix and hold best.
Bake low and slow. Unlike your traditional granola bar recipe, this one bakes for an hour but at 250°F instead of 350°F. The low and slow method results in the perfect chewy golden bar.
Chill the bars before cutting and dipping. The bars will be fragile when warm, so for the easiest chocolate dipping I really recommend freezing them before slicing and dipping. After they are dipped you can store the in the fridge they will hold just fine.

More Easy Snack Recipes You’ll Love

Easy No-Bake Muesli Bars
Almond Pulp Cookie Dough Bites
Toasted Coconut Snack Bars
Funfetti Cake Batter Bites