Homemade Survival Bars: How to Make Great Tasting Survival Bars at Home
Want to Know How to Make Homemade Survival Bars?
So did I. Over the past few months, I decided to try a few varieties, and this is my favorite so far. The texture is right, the flavor is right, especially is you are a fan of fruity cereal. These taste a lot like Crunch Berries! You can also try lemon and orange flavored Jello in these easy to make bars. I guess together, they taste like Trix or Fruity Pebbles. Something like that, anyway. I promised I would try these, and I just had not one, but two for a snack before I could put them down. Going to admit something here- I am a bit of a food critic. If I say these are good, they are good. Otherwise, I am going to call them edible. These are actually good. They are not like bricks, and they are not dry and bland.That being said, I am going to try chocolate chia ones next, a little recipe I have in my head. I think it will be good to also have an option that is not fruity, and chia is super good for you, an excellent survival food that has super nutrition and can pretty much be stored forever. I also plan to make a sugar free version, one with more protein, and some other fun and exciting flavors. Be sure to check back for that post of follow us on Facebook to get my latest projects and recipes.
These bars will also store pretty much forever. I did a little research today on the shelf life of Jello, and am happy to say that even though there is an expiration date on the box, the shelf life is actually “indefinite.” Goes for dry Jello pudding mix as well, so I am excited to try the chocolate ones next. I researched all the other ingredients as well. Based on their shelf lives, these bars should be good for at least 20 years. I don’t think they will last a month around here, but it is good to know. I will keep you posted, though. I am going to keep them around for more than a few months and let you know. Hopeful, as I’ve heard this recipe truly stays good for years.
Why would you want to make homemade survival bars, anyway?
Easy to make, quick, and they taste great. Yes, they should have a very long shelf life. There is no oil or any ingredient that goes rancid or spoils quickly. They do not contain moisture, as you dry them in the oven, but they stay moist due to the Jello. Pretty cool, right? These homemade survival bars will stay intact without crumbling, pack well, and are great for camping, hunting, hiking, and are also great to have on hand for emergency preparedness.Here’s How to Make Survival Bars:
Ingredients for Homemade Survival Bars:- 2 cups oats (regular or the quick variety)
- 2 1/2 cups powdered milk
- 1 cup sugar
- one (1) 3 oz package jello (strawberry, cherry, orange and lemon are our favorite flavors, but you can use whatever you like)
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 3 Tablespoons honey
Ingredients for Survival Bars: You will need sugar, powdered milk, oats, Jello and honey
Step 1:
Mix the oats, powdered milk, and sugar together.
Nothing fancy required here. Just put the ingredients in a bowl and stir them. Make sure your bowl is big enough to hold 2 more cups of ingredients, as you will be adding Jello mix next.
Simply mix your ingredients together with a spoon- oats, sugar and powdered milk.
Step 2:
In a medium pan saucepan, mix the jello mix, water and honey. Boil.
Add one 3 ounce pack of Jello, the flavor is up to you. Add 3 Tablespoons of water and 3 Tablespoons of honey (Note: You are only going to use 3 tablespoons of water, not the amount called for in the jello recipe on the box. ) Stirring as you go, bring this mixture to a rolling boil. (A rolling boil is where the water keeps boiling when you stir it, it does not stop. )
Step 3:
Add jello mixture to your dry ingredients and mix well.
We recommend you use a mixer here, as it is much faster. If you are mixing by hand, use your hands to combine the ingredients. Using a spoon is too tedious.
Step 4:
Check the consistency and add water, if needed
If the dough is too dry, add a small amount of water a teaspoon at a time. We usually end up adding 1-5 teaspoons of water at this point. Test the consistency of your dough by trying to press it together. Ultimately, your dough should be crumbly, but it should stick together when you press it. Add water until you get this desired result.
As soon the mixture will stick together when you mash it in your hand, it is done. You have enough water in it.
Step 5:
Press dough into a large rectangular pan (9×13 is ideal) lined with parchment paper.
Line your pan with parchment paper. I lined mine with parchment paper and foil, to help hold the parchment in, but you can just use paper. Your choice.
Pour the mix in your pan, and press it in firmly. I used my fist to press mine down. You can not press it down too much.
If you want to, you can make the dough nice and flat with a little rolling pin, a dowel, or a glass soda bottle, which actually works great. As long as you press the dough in firmly, this is optional.
Step 6:
Cut the dough into bars.
Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut the dough into rows, making it into rectangles or even squares. It is important to cut all the way through here, or your bars are likely to crumble a bit when you try to get them apart. I recommend you over the lines with a butter knife to be sure. I used a pizza cutter, then that, and mine turned out great.
Now that I have cut them into rectangles, they are ready to go in the oven for awhile.
Step 7:
Bake them for 1 1/2 to 2 hours in an oven set at 200 degrees.Unless your bars are still pretty moist, they should only take an hour and a half. You are not really going to mess them up if they stay in a little long, though. Your oven is not very hot, and you do want your bars to dry out. When they are finished, remove them from the oven. Let them sit 10 minutes, then pick them up from your pan, just by holding the edges of the parchment paper, and let them cool out of the pan.
Note: You can dehydrate bars with this recipe, but the baked ones turn out nicer.
