GF Nut-Free Cereal Bars

I am always searching for healthy afternoon snacks and fun things to pack in the kids' lunchboxes. Since cereal bars are one of their favorite snack right now I was trying to make a fun but healthy and nut-free (for school) version at home.

Searching through all the amazing recipes on Pinterest I decided that it should be an easy, no-bake, whip up quickly before school lets out cereal bar.

And without dried fruit since my kids simply won't eat them.

The end product was a gluten-free, nut-free, crunchy cereal bar with glaze (all cereal bars need a glaze in this house!).

Recipe adapted from Sun-Maid

Ingredients:

1/2 cup WOWBUTTER
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups gluten free rice cereal
2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain Rolled Oats (uncooked)
3/4 cup Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
Place WOWBUTTER, honey and brown sugar in large microwave-safe bowl.
Heat on high power for 2 minutes until bubbly and heated through. Remove bowl from microwave.
Add vanilla; stir until mixture is smooth.
Add cereal, oats and raisins. Gently stir WITHOUT CRUSHING cereal.
Press warm mixture very firmly into prepared pan. 

Melt two more tablespoons of WOWBUTTER in a small microwave-safe bowl for 30 sec.

Stir until liquid.

Fill carefully into a small Ziploc bag.

Pipe over cereal bars.
Cool at room temperature or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Lift out of pan, cut into bars.
Store bars in plastic wrap or tightly covered container, at room temperature or in refrigerator.

Makes 16 bars 

(I doubled the recipe and had enough for a 13x9 dish plus a 6x6 (so we could eat some immediately and safe some for school)