Julie Clark
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Oatmeal Raisin Popcorn Bars
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Oatmeal raisin cookie lovers will love these fun Oatmeal Raisin Popcorn Bars full of oatmeal, walnuts, cinnamon and raisins, then drizzled in white chocolate.
Oatmeal Raisin Popcorn Bars
Are you kids “snackers”? My three angels have always loved their snacks. When they were toddlers, I looked forward to snack time, too. Snack time meant happiness in our house. It didn’t matter if the precious little two-year-old was having a terrible, rotten, fussy day. As soon as I pulled out our standard toddler snack of graham crackers and apple juice, all was peaceful, even if just for 20 minutes or so. On special occasions, I’d give them a package of fruit snacks. I can remember Maddie playing with her “Finding Nemo” themed fruit snacks for a good hour at the table. She’d have those little gummy fishies swimming all over the place!
We’re past the stage of me handing out snacks at set times of the day, but my kids still love their snack time. Lately their favorite snack is popping up a bag of microwave popcorn. Those popcorn snacks got me in the mood for making some popcorn bars. This time of year always has me craving cinnamon. And that’s how these Oatmeal Raisin Popcorn Bars came to be!
As soon as I tasted the buttery, sweet, cinnamon flavor paired with the slightly salty popcorn and crunchy steel cut oats, I fell in love. These popcorn bars will literally melt in your mouth. Matt and I worked together creating these. He’s the genius mind behind many of our best recipes. It’s embarrssing to say how many of these popcorn bars we put down in the name of “sampling the recipe to see if it is blog-worthy”. It’s a hard job, ya know? The kids were hooked, too, which was actually a good thing so that Matt and I didn’t eat the whole pan.
You’ll need just under 30 minutes to make these snack bars. Popcorn, walnuts, raisins and oatmeal are the main ingredients that make up these bars. I used steel cut oats, but you can use regular old-fashioned or quick cooking oats, too. Each kind will give you just a bit of a different texture, but any will work. I liked the steel cut oats because it gave them more of a nutty flavor and crunchy texture.
By pouring a mixture of honey, molasses, cinnamon, vanilla and butter over the freshly popped popcorn mixture, that cinnamon flavor that you love will soak in to each and every bite. Then you’ll make the “glue” that holds the popcorn snack together. It’s just butter and marshmallows, the same mixture you’d make for rice krispie treats, but with a dash of cinnamon thrown in.
Press that gooey mixture into a 9×13 pan that you’ve lined with wax paper. Sprinkle a few extra steel cut oats on top, then drizzle with white chocolate if you’d like. Try to eat just one of these cinnamon & raisin infused bars. I dare you. Popcorn snack time in our house will never be the same!
Oatmeal Raisin Popcorn Bars
Oatmeal raisin cookie lovers will love these fun Oatmeal Raisin Popcorn Bars full of oatmeal, walnuts, cinnamon and raisins, then drizzled in white chocolate.
Servings 16
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 7 cups popcorn
- 2/3 cup raisins
- 2/3 cup walnuts
- 2/3 cup Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 20 large marshmallows
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons Steel Cut Oats
- 3 tablespoons white chocolate
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the popcorn, raisins, walnuts and steel cut oats.
- In a saucepan over low heat, heat the honey, molasses, vanilla, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon butter together just until melted. Pour this mixture over the popcorn mixture and mix well.
- In the same saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 1 ½ tablespoons butter and the marshmallows, stirring constantly until the marshmallows are melted. Add in ½ teaspoon cinnamon and mix. Pour this mixture over the popcorn and mix well.
- Press the popcorn mixture into an 8x8 pan that has been lined with wax paper. Rub a bit of butter on your fingers and press firmly on the mixture to completely cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the additional 3 tablespoons of steel cut oats on top of the bars and press them in lightly with your hands.
- If desired, melt ¼ cup white chocolate over low heat on a double boiler. Drizzle the melted white chocolate overtop the bars. Cut into 16 bars.
Nutrition
Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 21mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.9mg
These look delicious – what kind of popcorn?? Air-popped, microwave – with/without butter/salt?????
What could I substitute if I don’t have molasses?
This looks fabulous! I’m going to try this soon! We are always looking for some yummy snacks and this looks great! Thanks!
Sometimes I feel like snack time is all the time around here! Ha! These popcorn bars look like a fabulous little snack to make…..and eat!
I can’t tell you how many recipes I’ve had to sample for my blog’s sake! 😀 It IS a hard job, but somebody’s gotta do it! LOL. I can’t wait to try these bars, Julie! Stumbled and scheduled to pin! Hugs!!
Well, I’m a snacker 🙂 These would be perfect for my afternoon work break pick-me-upper snack.