Mars Bars are very popular in Australia, and while they were discontinued in the US for a while they are back, albeit hard to find. I found a recipe for a Mars Bar Slice on an Australian website recently, and it looked so good, I found myself gathering the ingredients to make it. I also did some research on Mars Bars, and learned that Mars Bars are different in the US than those sold globally. Essentially, they are both chocolate covered nougat with caramel, but the Mars Bars in the UK and Australia include almonds (a Snickers Almond Bar in the US); my research also told me that Milky Way Bars are very similar to Mars Bars and are easy to find in the US. Nevertheless, I adjusted my recipe to use Milky Way bars and added toasted almonds.

Although these bars are no-bake, the almonds should be toasted in the oven prior to making the bars to bring out their flavor. You can use chunks of whole almonds or sliced almonds depending what you have on hand. The original recipe calls for copha, which is only found in Australia and can be substituted with coconut oil. Golden syrup is also used, but is becoming more readily available in the US; a good substitute is corn syrup.

32 Small Squares

1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup, or corn syrup
4 Regular size Mars Bars (53 grams)

1/2 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped or toasted sliced almonds
3 cups crisp rice cereal

Topping
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon coconut oil

1. Spray an 8" x 11" shallow baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. Place the butter, golden syrup, and Mars Bars in a glass microwaveable container (I use my 8 cup Pyrex measuring cup). Microwave 2 minutes, let sit a minute or two. Stir until smooth.
3. Add the almonds and the crisp rice cereal and stir until everything is coated. Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
4. Topping: Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwaveable container. Microwave 1 1/2 minutes or until soft. Stir until smooth. Pour over the Mars Bar mixture and spread evenly. Refrigerate until set before cutting into 32 squares.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 103 Calories from Fat 58
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 57% Protein 3% Carb. 40%

Nutrient Amount per Serving Serving Value
Total Fat 6 g
Saturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 4 mg
Sodium 46 mg
Total Carbohydrate 10 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 1 g
Protein 1 g

Vitamin A 3% Vitamin C 2% Calcium 0% Iron 2%