Healthy Peanut Butter Oat & Chocolate Bars (no-bake)

Do you have ten minutes? Great! That’s how long these bars take, I kid you not! No cooking, no baking, just a bit of chocolate melting and you’re done. Sweetened with honey, these snack-y bars are made with oats, creamy peanut butter and really not much else. Stir, spread, chill.

The web is full of versions of these bars and I can see why. It’s not just that they’re so easy, but they’re so good! All of the classic flavours in a much healthier avatar than the average dessert. The chocolate contains some refined sugar but the rest of it is just honey-sweetened. Cinnamon and salt make them extra yum and coarse salt on top is just…. mandatory.

Feel free to double this recipe for thicker bars and use more chocolate as well. I was a bit low on chocolate so I went for thinner bars overall but I think they taste great this way. Just the right amount of chewy! Chilling them in the fridge for about an hour helps them set but the freezer is good if you want to speed it up.

Try and use a natural peanut butter, free of sugar and other additives. Not just because it keeps these bars on the healthier side, but also because it tends to be more liquid-y and therefore easier to stir into the oats. It’s also super easy to customise these with whatever other add ins or flavours that you want. I used cinnamon and vanilla but dried cranberries would be great, any extracts you like, go crazy! They’re so good to grab for a quick snack or more redeeming dessert, yum!

Ok, let’s not-bake some bars!

Healthy Peanut Butter Oat & Chocolate Bars (no-bake)

Chewy, healthy peanut butter oat bars with salted chocolate! Gluten-free and vegan.

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 2 minutes mins

Total Time: 12 minutes mins

Makes: 16 bars

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Ingredients

  

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (see notes)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 100 finely chopped dark cooking chocolate, finely chopped
• Sea salt or coarse salt to finish, as needed

Instructions

• Line an 8x8 pan with non-stick baking paper, leaving a little overhang for easy removal.
• In a mixing bowl, stir together the oats, salt and cinnamon.
• In another small bowl, stir together the honey, peanut butter and vanilla till smooth. Pour it over the oats and fold the mixture together with a silicone spatula until the oats are completely coated. It will be a thick and sticky mixture, so you could add a little more peanut butter if needed (I added an extra tablespoon).
• Tip the mixture into the prepared pan and press it down firmly and evenly using the base of a measuring cup to help. Set aside.
• Now melt the chocolate in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent it from over-heating. Pour over the oat base and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle with the sea salt.
• Place the pan in the fridge and chill for at least 1 hour. Then slice into squares and store in an airtight tin in the fridge for 10 days. You can also freeze them for longer. Happy not baking!

Notes

*Use a good cooking chocolate here which melts easily. Unfortunately I was running low and used a less than ideal quality one which seized a bit while I was melting it, so I had to do some damage control by stirring a bit of hot water into it (works every time!). But this is just to say, choose a good one! If you prefer, look for a certified dairy-free and refined sugar-free brand.

*Use a natural, unsweetened peanut butter here. It is a little runnier and easier to mix into the oats. If you're using another kind, you may need to adjust the honey and salt quantities.

*If you'd like thicker bars, you can double the recipe.

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