Soft and chewy peanut butter oatmeal bars made with healthy, wholesome ingredients. The chocolate is optional. Sort of. 😉
Let’s discuss something.
Is there really such a thing as “too much peanut butter?” Because I’m pretty sure we test those limits over here on Sally’s Baking Addiction. I mean, these peanut butter cookies are pretty much always in my oven.
My goal for today’s bars was to create a wholesome, quick, and easy oatmeal bar with little ingredients and a whole lot of taste. I also wanted a bar that you could easily adapt using your favorite mix-ins or whatever you have on hand. I also wanted something overloaded with peanut butter because well… duh.
In these 100% vegan bars (except for that chocolate drizzle!) you’ll find your standard kitchen staples. Nothing weird, nothing requiring a google search, and quite certainly nothing you’ll have to visit a special grocery store for.
Whole wheat flour, oats, a touch of brown sugar, baking soda, peanut butter, more peanut butter, even MORE peanut butter, and some chunks for texture. I added dairy-free chocolate chips and raisins to my bars, but feel free to add your favorites! Dried cranberries, white chocolate, more nuts, seeds, dried banana chips, etc.
Disclaimer: I am mildly obsessed with raisins and I don’t care if this makes me an old woman.
Each bar is rather dense and holds its own. They’re soft, rather moist and not dry in the slightest. I kept my bars in the refrigerator and LOVED biting into them cold. The chilled chocolate chips and peanut butter combination is spot on and easily filled me up when I wanted a snack or something to bring to work. Or a midnight munchie.
Midnight bites happened a lot with these babies!
In addition to adding in whichever chunks-of-stuff you’d like, you could easily make these bars your own by adding in more or less brown sugar. I found that 1/2 cup was plenty and didn’t make these bars overly sweet, especially since I added chocolate chips and a light chocolate drizzle. Chocolate was a complete necessity to my peanut butter bars.
Peanut butter & chocolate: saving tastebuds everywhere on this blog.
I’m a huge sucker for healthy recipes requiring a small number of ingredients and taking as little time as possible. With only 8 common ingredients, plus your little add-ins, I’m claiming these bars to be just as easy as my healthy dark chocolate almond truffles. And they only take about 25 minutes to make start-to-finish! 🙂
Oh! And these bars are completely vegan. I used dairy free chocolate chips and almond milk in the dough, but melted regular chocolate chips with peanut butter as the chocolate drizzle. The drizzle is completely optional and you could make it with dairy-free chocolate chips if a vegan bar is what you’re going for.
A small and common ingredient list, a whole lot of peanut butter, chocolate for my tastebuds, no butter or oil, chewy plump raisins, and a recipe taking less than 25 minutes.
So as I sit here getting over a tummy-ache as I write this post, eating peanut butter spread on saltine crackers—exactly what I had for lunch AND breakfast, we can just go ahead and answer that first question with a huge no.
There is never such a thing as too much peanut butter.
Healthy Peanut Butter Chunk Oatmeal Bars
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Yield: 12-16 bars
- Category: Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft and chewy peanut butter oatmeal bars made with healthy, wholesome ingredients. The chocolate is optional. Sort of!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed brown sugar
- 1 cup (250g) chunky or creamy peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (127g) whole wheat flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 cup (85g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk (I used almond milk, but use whichever you prefer)
- 1/2 cup (90g) dairy-free chocolate chips (or regular chocolate chips)
- 1/2 cup (70g) raisins (or whichever mix-ins you’d like)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- With an electric or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the brown sugar and peanut butter on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla, scraping down the sides as needed.
- On medium speed, add in the flour, oats, salt, and baking soda. The dough will be very thick and clumpy, but it will come together. Slowly add the milk in a steady stream, mixing until a dough forms. Fold in chocolate chips and raisins. Use your hands to make sure everything is combined, if needed.
- Once dough is completely combined, press it lightly into the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 17-20 minutes until the bars are lightly golden and set. Allow to cool completely and cut into squares. I keep mine in the refrigerator in a covered container. Bars will be good stored up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Square Baking Pan | Parchment Paper | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula
- Chocolate Drizzle: I melted 3 tablespoons of chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter for the chocolate drizzle. This is completely optional. Be sure to use whichever mix-ins you like instead of the called for chocolate chips and raisins.
Reader Comments and Reviews
The very best. This is what I make for all new mamas – so great for nursing moms or late night snacks. Delicious straight out of the oven and days later too (if they last that long!)
Really good recipe but I doubled the batch and added 3 mashed bananas and added 2 eggs and I also used date sugar instead of brown sugar. It gave it more of a cake like consistency and it was more moist.
Have you ever tried these bars with any protein powder to make a more robust protein punch for hiking or backpacking trips? Any suggestions?
Hi Brenda, we haven’t tested adding protein powder here. Let us know if you do!
I did cranberry-chocolate chip bars and they are perfect with the peanut butter
So good! I love it is egg free, due to current egg prices it’s a great option recipe. I added 1 T flax seeds, 1/3 c pecans, 1/2 c raisins, 1/2 chocolate chips. And I used chunky peanut butter. This is moist and just sweet enough oatmeal bar and we love it. Another great recipe!!
I normally love the recipes and detailed directions on this site but this one was a miss for me. I found the bars crumbly and dry. I couldn’t get more than two bites down with sips of milk. The flavor is fine but the texture is off.
Thank you for the feedback, Sarah. I have been meaning to revisit this to see if I can make some improvements.
Sounds like a nice recipe. Can’t I use just regular wheat flour? and plain sugar? I only ask ’cause I have them on hand. Plant to buy better flour soon.
Hi Berne, you can use all-purpose flour here. You should be able to use white sugar as well, but you’ll miss the flavor and a little moisture brown sugar adds.
These were delicious (and I didn’t even add any chocolate)!
Can this be stored at room Temp for 3 hours?
Definitely.
Do you have nutritional info for your recipes showing protein, calories and sugar per serving?
Hi Kathy, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Can I use natural peanut butter in this recipe?
Hi Christine, We often use Skippy Natural, and other readers have reported success with natural peanut butters. If yours is oily make sure you mix it well before using!
Can I add chia seeds or chia powder?
Hi Amanda, chia seed should work well here!
Great recipe, not overly sweet, but still satisfying. First time I made it with the whole wheat flour as written (tasty, but a strong wheat flavor, of course). Since then, I do a mix of half AP and half whole wheat flour, which is our preference!
Do these freeze well? I’d love to make these ahead of time to have on hand when needed.
Hi Joanna, they should good covered tightly and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Can you use water instead of milk?
Hi Tsivia, we haven’t tested this recipe with water, but wouldn’t recommend it. You can, however, use any nondairy milk you prefer instead of regular milk. Hope this helps!
Hello, are there any substitute for using milk at all, Or it has to be a form of somewhat?
I know it’s been a while;p, but I have found that sour cream and Greek yogurt are nice substitutes for milk in most baked goods in a pinch. Of course avoid extra sugars and flavors that may throw off the recipe :3
Happy baking !!
My boyfriend and I LOVE this recipe!! Will definitely make again over and over again.
I really like this- great snack for my toddler and yummy for the adults too. I’ve made a few changes to suit our tastes. I blitz the oats to make it easier for my son to eat. I also reduce the flour and baking soda a bit to give it more moisture and density. I also added an egg the second time to hold it together a little more. Very tasty and not too sweet!
Will these work with quick oats?
That shouldn’t be a problem!
Hi sounds like a great tasting recipe. I have 2 Questions:
Do I double the recipe for a 9x13pan?
Do you put the drizzle on after bars are cooked & cooked?
Hi Joy, Yes! you can double and bake in a 9×13 pan. We’re unsure of the exact bake time – around 35 minutes. And yes, put the drizzle on after they are cooked. Enjoy!
I love this recipe so much! One of the kids asked if we could make them for her birthday!!
Could these be made as plain peanut butter oat bars, without any chocolate chips / raisins / other add-ins? Would any other adjustments need to be made for that? Would appreciate any suggestions or advice; thanks!
Hi J, you can definitely make these bars without any add-ins. Enjoy!
You used to have a peanut butter blondie recipe (that I think turned into whole wheat later on) what happened to that recipe?
Hi Taylor! We were no longer satisfied with the outcome of that older recipe, so we unpublished it. We still have it, so send us an email and we can forward it to you. sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com
Is there a difference in texture between these bars and the banana peanut butter oat bars? Is one chewier or softer than the other? This recipe has whole wheat flour and the other does not.
Thanks!
Hi Chelsea, the banana peanut butter oatmeal bars have more texture from the oats. These are more like a healthier-tasting blondie vs. a chewy oatmeal bar.
Could I sub the brown sugar for honey, maybe? Was looking to add protein powder too, which might offset the ‘wetness’ to the honey.
Looking for really healthy snacks for work- with how much processed sugar is in everything, it really adds up day-today and I want to tone it down as much as possible.
Hi AK, we haven’t tested it that way, but let us know if you do and how it turns out!
I made these and they are delicious! I omitted the chocolate topping leaving them sweet enough. Thanks for sharing.
Made these tonight and they were great. I recently purchased a mill and used fresh milled flour and fresh flocked oats. Thinking butterscotch chips with shredded coconut next time. Thank you so much for all of your amazing recipes
Made these for my 1.5 years old. I left out the choc chips and used date syrup as a sub for the sugar and, omg, they were delicious. I can only imagine how much nicer they’d be with the chocolate. Will be making again.