Peanut Butter-Raisin Bars

These are the no-bake snack bars that feel like a cross between a granola bar and an old-school school cafeteria treat. Five ingredients, no oven, and you’ve got two dozen bars cut and packed by the time the kids get home.

The binder is the trick. Brown sugar and corn syrup get warmed together until the sugar dissolves, then peanut butter goes in off the heat. The mixture works like a caramel that stays soft and chewy once it cools, instead of going crackly the way a hard sugar mixture would. That chew is what makes these bars feel like a treat instead of dry trail mix.

Shredded wheat cereal is the unusual base. It’s lower in sugar than most cereals and breaks into chunky shards that hold their shape under the peanut butter caramel. Coarsely crush the biscuits rather than pulverizing them; you want a mix of bite-sized pieces, not crumbs.

Press the mixture firmly into the pan. Loose-pressed bars crumble when sliced. Use the bottom of a measuring cup or wax paper between your hand and the mixture for an even, packed surface.

Kitchen Tips

• Use chunky peanut butter as the recipe calls for; smooth works but you lose the textural pop of peanut bits.
• Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang. After cooling, lift the whole slab out and slice on a cutting board for cleaner edges.
• Don’t let the sugar mixture boil. You’re after warm and dissolved, not caramelized. Boiled sugar hardens to candy and the bars become rock-hard.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Variations

• Swap raisins for dried cranberries or chopped dates.
• Add a quarter cup of mini chocolate chips folded in once the mixture has cooled slightly.
• Use crispy rice cereal in place of shredded wheat for a lighter, crisper bar.