Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (use verified gluten-free, if needed)
- ¾ cup natural peanut butter*
- ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup (both work well and taste great but 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
Instructions
- 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 it 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 from the mixing bowl 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 the pan on a cooling rack.
- Let the bars cool completely before cutting them into 16 squares with a sharp knife.
Notes
*Use certified gluten-free oats to make these gluten-free and celiac-friendly.
**These chewy granola bars are easy to adapt if I need a nut-free option. I’ll swap the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter, tahini, or pumpkin seed butter for a similar texture and binding effect.
***To make these egg-free/vegan, substitute 2 flax eggs in place of the eggs. To make them, mix 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed with 5 tablespoons water and let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes before adding it in.
For the perfect chewy texture, avoid overbaking these, since even a few extra minutes in the oven can make them crispy and crumbly. I also make sure to use enough moisture-rich ingredients like peanut butter (with a drizzly consistency) and maple syrup or honey.
I prefer cutting the bars into squares, and that’s what the nutrition facts below are based on. However, I can also divide the pan into 12-14 longer bars, if preferred.
Use a sharp, non-serrated knife to slice the bars, and avoid dragging it through. Instead, press straight down for clean cuts and to help keep the bars intact.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 200
- Fat: 9 g
- (Sat Fat: 2 g)
- Sodium: 64 mg
- Carbohydrate: 25 g
- (Fiber: 3 g
- Sugar: 9 g)
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 17 mg