Soft and chewy granola bars topped with a layer of creamy peanut butterand coated in milk chocolate! Relive your childhood with this 90’s kid classic!
I think most of us can agree that the 90’s were all that and a bag of chips. I’m sure every generation believes they grew up in the best decades, and honestly, you’re probably right as long as you were born before the 2000’s. (No shade to Gen Z.) Awesome entertainment and toys aside, things were just a lot simpler before the millennium, and I think most of us long for those years when there was less technology and more human connection.
The 90’s were also an iconic time for treats–Dunkaroo’s, Squeezits, Butterfinger BB’s, Flintstones Push-Ups, Fruit String Things, Trix Yogurt, Waffle Crisp Cereal…I could go on forever. One treat I remember fondly is the Kudos bar. It was truly the king of all granola bars because it resembled a candy bar more than a granola bar. For that reason, they were definitely more of a special occasion treat. In fact, the only time I remember eating them was when they were given out after soccer games. Of course, they were usually accompanied with a fruity Squeezit or Capri-Sun!
Most likely, you can’t find these highly-treasured bars in any of your grocery stores today. However, just because it’s no longer available in stores doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy one of the best treats of all-time!
Although it’s been several years since I’ve bitten into an authentic Kudos bar, I can say with certainty that these copycat Kudos Peanut Butter Granola Bars are just as delicious, if not MORE so!
Now, this isn’t my first shot at the infamous Kudos bar. A couple of years ago, I posted a recipe for Copycat Kudos Granola Bars, only they were the Snickers variety. They tasted and looked just like the original Kudos bar, however, I wanted to try my hand at the peanut butter one.
These “granola bars” are actually quite simple to make. The only part that takes the longest is dipping them into the chocolate. It’s pretty much a one-saucepan recipe since you combine most of the ingredients–butter, honey, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, vanilla–in a saucepan. Cook until everything is melted. And then stir in your dry ingredients–oats, crispy rice cereal, and peanuts. What makes the Kudos bar so light, crisp and different from most other granola bars is the fact that it contains more rice cereal than oats–double the amount, in fact. You could say it’s like a hybrid between a rice crispy treat and a traditional granola bar.
After the oat mixture is firmly pressed into a parchment paper-lined pan (make sure the pan is lined so that you can remove the bars easily), a hefty amount of peanut butter is spread right on top. For the purposes of sticking with the original, I used creamy peanut butter. However, being the crunchy peanut butter lover that I’ve always been, I would definitely try this recipe again with crunchy peanut butter!
Once the bars have firmed up in the refrigerator (or the freezer, if you’re in a hurry), the entire oat slab is removed from the pan, and they’re cut into bars. You should end up with about 16 good-sized bars. Any bigger, and you’ll end up in a sugar coma with how rich these babies are.
To make the chocolate-dipping process easier, I highly recommend putting the cut bars into the freezer for at least 30 minutes until the peanut butter layer has firmed up. And since the peanut butter layer softens pretty quickly once it’s out of the freezer, I would also suggest leaving the pan of bars in the freezer, and dipping 2 or 3 at a time. Trust me, it’s A LOT less messy this way.
As far as chocolate-dipping goes, I’ve found that the best way to coat the bars was to lift the bar with one fork, lower the bottom half into the melted chocolate, lift it above the bowl of chocolate, then use a spoon to ladle the melted chocolate over the bar. Once everything has been coated in chocolate, I tap the fork on the side of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate, then carefully place the bar onto a lined cookie sheet.
Again, sticking with the original Kudos bar, I coated these “granola” bars in milk chocolate. However, if you want to use semi-sweet/dark chocolate, that’s also a great option. In fact, the slight bitterness of the semi-sweet chocolate might balance out the sweetness of the overall bar much better than milk chocolate.
One might assume that these bars are straight-up chocolate bars by the looks of them. I’m not gonna lie, they’re nowhere near your typical wholesome granola bar with their sugar-laden oats and chocolate coating…
However, if you’re coming to my blog for healthy recipes, you’re in the wrong place, homie.
Soft and chewy granola bars topped with a layer of creamy peanut butterand coated in milk chocolate! Relive your childhood with this 90's kid classic!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour hr
Chilling Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 2 hours hrs
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 16 Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups crispy rice cereal
- 1 cup quick cook oats
- ¼ cup peanuts chopped
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¼ cup peanut butter
- 12 ounces milk chocolate chips
- 2-3 Tablespoons coconut oil or vegetable oil*
Instructions
Line an 8-inch square dish with parchment paper, leaving extra overhang on both sides for easy removal; spray with nonstick cooking spray. Stir the cereal, oats, and peanuts together in a large mixing bowl; set aside.
In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, stir together the brown sugar, butter, honey, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil and continue to stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.Pour wet ingredients overthe dry ingredients, stirring to coat.
Press mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Refrigerate bars until cool to the touch. Remove bars from the refrigerator and evenly spread peanut butter on top. Chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, or until the peanut butter layer is firm.
Run a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen bars. Using the parchment overhang, gently pull granola bar slab out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut slab into bars (about 1 inch wide and 4 inches long). Place cut bars into freezer for at least 30 minutes, or until hard.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper.
Place chocolate chips and coconut oil into a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave until smooth and melted. Working with 2 or 3 bars at a time (and keeping the rest in the freezer), lift a granola bar with a fork, submerge the bottom half of it into the chocolate, lift it above the chocolate, then use a spoon to ladle the chocolate over the bar. Once coated, gently tap the handle of the fork against the side of the bowl to tap off any excess chocolate, then place onto lined cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining bars.
Place the cookie sheet of chocolate-coated bars into the freezer until chocolate is set and hardened.
Bars can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap, or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Notes
*Start with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. If chocolate is still too thick, add another tablespoon.
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