Magic granola bars

Sweetened condensed milk and plenty of butter make these bars perfectly crunchy-chewy and salty-sweet.

This recipe is also super easy: just stir all the ingredients together and bake. After one bite, you’ll never want a store-bought granola bar again.

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup chopped nuts (pecans)

1 cup dried fruit (raisins)

1 cup seeds (sunflower)

1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

1 can sweetened condensed milk (300 mL or ~14 oz)

1/2 cup butter, melted (4 oz)

Roasted, salted sunflower seeds are key for saltiness, but you could substitute pumpkin seeds (pepitas) if you want.

More ingredient combos:

Walnuts + raisins + semi-sweet chocolate

Pistachios + dried cranberries + white chocolate

Pecans + dried tart cherries + dark chocolate

Honey-roasted peanuts + dried apricots + semi-sweet chocolate

Slivered almonds + dried blueberries + white chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F (163° C) and get out a 9 x 13″ baking dish (recommended: pyrex or ceramic).

~~No need to line it with parchment paper or grease it, although you can if you want to.~~

Update (April 14, 2021): Line the tin with parchment paper, lest this should happen to you.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

3. Pour the melted butter over the other ingredients, add the sweetened condensed milk, and stir until evenly combined.

4. Press the mixture into the baking tin and bake at 325° F for 30-35 minutes, or until it looks crispy and golden on top.