Chewy, sweet, and energy-dense no-bake peanut butter Oatmeal bars. These peanut butter breakfast bars take minutes to prepare, are easily customizable, and completely delicious! Plus, they are gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and can be made vegan!
Begin by blending the oats in a food processor until you achieve a flour-like consistency. If you like a bit of 'bite,' then you can leave 1/3-1/2 of the oats whole.
Combine all of the peanut butter layer ingredients in a bowl and combine well.
Transfer the mixture to a parchment paper-lined tray or silicone mold and spread to create a thin, even layer. Then place in the fridge or freezer while preparing the chocolate topping.
To prepare the chocolate topping, melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil over a double boiler or in the microwave at 15-20 second spurts.
Pour the chocolate over the chilled peanut butter layer and then place it back in the fridge/freezer until the chocolate is set. Once set, you can remove the bar from the fridge and slice into squares/bars.
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Notes
The total time does not include the time it takes the chocolate ganache layer to set (might take up to 1 hour).
If you're allergic to peanuts, you could sub this recipe for your favorite nut butter (such as almond butter or cashew butter). For a nut-free version, you could use sunflower seed butter instead- though you may need to add extra sweetener depending on your taste buds.
You could swap out the oats for rice Krispies or hoop cereal for a sweeter dessert treat.
If you're worried about the bars sticking, then you can also spray the parchment paper. Alternatively, silicone molds are perfect for never having to worry about sticking!
The nut butter consistency is one of the biggest factors in the consistency of the bars (whether they're crumbly or not). It's best to choose a nut butter that isn't too thick and is a pourable consistency. Of course, this can be aided with the addition of other wet ingredients though you may need more.
Leading on from the above point - If you decide to use store-bought peanut butter in place of homemade, then the ratios may vary slightly as different brands vary in consistency.