Baked Oat Granola Bars with Peanut Butter
Ditch the sugary processed store bought granola bars and make this healthier, less expensive and delicious baked crunchy granola bar recipe instead! This easy recipe uses oats and peanut butter for a vegan, gluten-free, meal prep and freezer friendly grab and go snack or healthy breakfast.
Servings: 20 bars
Calories: 196kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup assorted nuts*
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup unsweetened dried fruit*
- ½ cup ground flax seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup peanut butter*
- ½ cup honey*
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Place oats nuts and seeds on baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes.
- Prepare 9×13 glass dish by lining with unbleached parchment paper.
- Mix peanut butter and honey until well incorporated and set aside.
- When toasted nuts and oats have cooled enough to handle, pour into a medium sized mixing bowl. IF OATS AND NUTS HAVEN'T COOLED, THE CHOCOLATE CHIPS WILL MELT WHEN YOU MIX THEM IN. Add in dried fruit, chocolate chips, ground flax, cinnamon and salt in large bowl and mix together.
- Pour nut butter mixture over oats/nuts and stir until well incorporated. Batter will be VERY sticky. You may think there isn't enough of the nut butter paste, but keep mixing and you'll see it is exactly the right amount.
- Spread batter into prepared pan. Use another piece of parchment paper to cover the mixture and then use your hands to press down until it's evenly distributed all the way to the edges. Use the bottom of a bowl or measuring cup to firmly press down. This is super important. You want the mixture to be as compacted as possible before baking so it won't fall apart when you try to cut it.
- Bake for 25 minutes, until golden.
- Allow to cool COMPLETELY in the pan. Lift parchment edges to transfer to a cutting board.
- Cut into bars and store in covered container at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
MEAL PREP AND STORAGE
- Serve: Granola bars taste best at room temperature. They can be taken straight from the freezer to the lunch box and will be perfect when it's time to enjoy.
- Prep ahead: Yes! Cool completely before storage.
- Store: For best results, store in an airtight container. Individually wrap and store at room temperature for a week, in the fridge for a month or freezer for 3 months for an easy grab and go breakfast or healthy snack.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 202mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g