Description
These healthy peanut butter bars will make you feel like you’re indulging! Bonus: they’re no bake! Bars are gluten free if using certified gluten free oats.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup (about 95g) whole almonds
- 2/3 cup (about 95g) whole cashews
- 1 and 1/2 cups (128g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats or quick oats, divided
- 1/3 cup (35g) ground flaxseed
- 1/3 cup (40g) dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup (50g) raisins
- 1/2 cup (170g) honey (or maple syrup or brown rice syrup)
- 3/4 cup (185g) creamy or crunchy peanut butter
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) coconut oil
- 1/3 cup (60g) mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the bars out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
- Pulse the almonds, cashews, and 1/2 cup (40g) oats in a food processor about 10x or until lightly chopped. (Without pulsing these ingredients, the bars will fall apart.)
- Pour pulsed mixture into a large bowl. Stir in remaining oats, the ground flaxseed, cranberries, and raisins until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium pan over medium heat or in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil together. Stir to combine, then pour over the dry ingredients. Add the chocolate chips, then stir to combine everything.
- Transfer mixture to prepared pan. Using the back of a flat spatula, press the mixture tightly and firmly down into the pan. Make sure it’s compact, which helps guarantee the bars will hold their shape.
- Place in the refrigerator to set up for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
- Lift the parchment paper out of the pan and cut into squares or rectangle bars. Cover and store the bars for up to 1 week at room temperature or for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Layer the cut bars between sheets of parchment in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-Inch Square Baking Pan or 9-Inch Square Baking Pan | Food Processor | Glass Mixing Bowl | Silicone Spatula
- Ingredient Questions: I’ve made these bars countless times with all sort of ingredients substitutions. See all successful ingredient substitutions in the blog post above.
- Nuts: Instead of almonds and cashews, feel free to replace with your favorite nuts. I like to use salted nuts for a sweet/salty bar, but feel free to use unsalted. You can use raw or roasted, whichever flavor you prefer. I usually use roasted.
- Ground Flaxseed: If you don’t have ground flaxseed, replace with the same amount of whole oats. No need to pulse these with the ingredients in step 2. (Use in step 3.)
- Dried Fruit: Feel free to use any dried fruit you enjoy. If the dried fruit you’re using isn’t small like dried cranberries and raisins, chop into smaller pieces.
- Peanut Butter: Feel free to use your favorite peanut butter, creamy or crunchy, natural or processed, or another nut butter you love.
- Chocolate Chips: You can use regular size chocolate chips, but the mini size make these bars easier to cut. Feel free to skip the chocolate chips and replace with sunflower seeds, dried fruit, or chopped nuts.