Peanut Butter Granola Bars

• servings: 16 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 19 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (use verified gluten-free, if needed)

3/4 cup natural peanut butter*

⅓ cup honey or maple syrup (both work well and taste great but I feel honey helps hold the bars together better)

½ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

2 whole eggs (use flax egg for vegan-friendly**)

Optional add-ins: pinch of salt (omit if peanut butter is salted), walnuts, pecans, almonds, chia, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds, or dried fruit

Directions

Preheat oven to 350℉.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. *If your peanut butter is solid at room temperature, heat it for 10-15 seconds to make it a more drizzly consistency before adding to the mix.

Line a 9×9 inch baking dish or pan with parchment paper. This makes it much easier to remove the bars from your dish once baked.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish or pan. Very firmly press the mixture into the pan in an even layer — the firmer you press, the better the bars will stick together. If you’re using chocolate chips, sprinkle them on top, then press them down into the bars.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the center is baked through and the edges are just starting to brown. Start checking at 14 minutes, as all ovens are different.

Remove from the oven and place pan on a cooling rack.

Let the bars cool completely (this is important) before cutting into 16 squares with a sharp knife***.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 square
• Calories: 200
• Total Fat: 9 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Cholesterol: 17 mg
• Sodium: 64 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 25 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 9 g
• Protein: 6 g