The 5-ingredient peanut butter granola bars I’m sharing today are an easy to make alternative to some of the bars you’ll find in the grocery store.
I’m not even going to ask, because I KNOW you had at least one Chewy bar in your childhood. Whether it was packed in your lunchbox, your afternoon snack of choice, or fuel before a basketball game, chances are you bit into one or two or those bars, right??
If you’re anything like me, then as you’ve grown up, you’ve branched out a bit to try other granola bars. I mean, are Chewy bars even in production anymore? Moment of silence.
As much as I aim to focus on eating as much real, whole food as possible, sometimes that just isn’t gonna happen. I’m human – life gets in the way, and convenience wins. In these instances when I need something quick (or chocolate, if I’m being honest), I’ve got a handful of “go to bars” that I reach for. (Do I smell another blog post topic??!). Some of my favorites? KIND bars, GoMacro bars, Square Organics bars, RXbars, and Health Warrior bars.
Recently, Stacie over at The Real Food RDs posted some really yummy looking 5 ingredients peanut butter granola bars here. I had some extra time on my hands, all the ingredients already stocked in my kitchen, and an appetite for adventure (how dramatic does that sound??), so I set out one weekday morning to throw a batch together.
Stacie provided the perfect 5-ingredient base recipe which I expounded upon further with the addition of more add-in ingredients. Nuts, seeds, dried fruit, chocolate chips, protein power, marshmallows??….the options and customizations are endless! No batch ever has to be the same! If you’ve got kiddos in the house, these are a great way to let them express their creativity.
These babies are gluten-free (make sure your oats are gluten-free – most are!) and dairy free. You could also make them vegan with the use of agave in place of honey, and using a flax egg in place of the regular egg.
The result:
I mean, even BEFORE it was cut into bars it looked prettttty dang good. King-sized granola bar, anyone???
I cut the recipe a little and made some changes from Stacie’s original recipe, and I immediately regretted not making the full recipe, because these peanut butter granola bars did NOT last long in my apartment. UGH.
To get the base recipe for these bars, head over to The Real Food RDs post HERE!
- ⅔ cup creamy natural peanut butter (see note)
- 2 cups gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup mini dark chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 egg
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- If using peanut butter with thick consistency, warm in a small pot on the stovetop or small bowl in the microwave just until smooth (see note).
- Combine all ingredients in medium sized bowl and mix until all ingredients are incorpoated.
- Transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, or a greased 9 x 9 inch baking dish.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until oats are lightly brown and toasted.
- Let cool slightly, then cut into bars.
- Store in airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
- I prefer to use Crazy Richard's peanut butter because of its thin consistency, making it easier to incorporate. I didn't have to warm it. However, if your favorite peanut or nut butter is thicker, follow the directions to warm it to a thinner consistency.
- Optional add in's: almonds, walnuts, pecans, chia seed, flax seed, pumpkin seeds, dried fruit, protein powder.