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One of my most popular recipes remixed with a little peanut butter! Your kids will LOVE these Peanut Butter Granola Bars 🙂
“You don’t know anything about girls!” said my daughter to my husband.
Umm, since when is my 5 year old like, 13?
I’m trying to remember the context of this entire conversation from yesterday, but I seem to be drawing a blank. All I remember is I totally agreed with her and said it in the exact same tone to Gordon right after she did {because I thought it would be hilarious AND I was half listening whislt shoving my pie hole with grapes. Or was it brownies?! Potato, po-tah-to.}
“Yeah, you don’t know ANYTHING about girls!”
I guess we showed him?!
Next blog post I’ll do my best to actually remember some detail about the stories I tell. And not shove my pie hole so mindlessly.
Aaaaaactually, I can’t promise anything. So forget that last sentence.
ANYWAYS. Today is Monday…aka the worst day ever in the world.
……….
And that concludes the topics running loose in my brain today.
You’re welcome, America.
So, yeah. Let’s talk granola bars.
You guys certainly love my original No-Bake Chocolate Chip Granola ones a lot. They get pinned thousands of times everyday. I think they’re coming up on 1 million pins to date. Too legit to quit, yo. They honestly are some of the easiest snacks to whip up and the best part is you can pronounce every ingredient you put into them. High five for that.
Lots and lots of you have commented on this original recipe saying you experimented with adding in peanut butter with great success, so I decided to give it a whirl.
You people are onto something, cause these pb bars? GOLD.
They were just the right balance of chocolate and peanut butter without taking it to the overkill territory. Plus, did I mention these STAY CHEWY? Cause they do. #winning
I loved them and so did my husband. My daughter ate about 2 and then decided she didn’t like them anymore–>??? Whatevs. She’s 5.
For more detailed directions, check out the step by step photos from this original post. Instructions and directions are all the same for both recipes, you just add in some peanut butter for this one. Printable recipe below too!
Have a fab day friends 🙂 
No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter not all-natural
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 4 cups quick cooking oats not rolled oats!
- 2 cups crispy rice cereal
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir oats and rice cereal together. Set aside.
- In a small pot, melt butter, peanut butter honey and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it comes to a bubble. Reduce the heat and cook lightly {like a simmer} for 1 1/2-2 minutes. Pour in vanilla and stir.
- Pour over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten evenly. Pour into lightly greased small jelly roll pan {about 12x8x1} and press out to be about 3/4 inch in thickness. {If your pan isn't small enough, pack the mixture into one side. You really want to press them down so they stick together.}
- Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and pb chips and press them into the bars lightly. Cool on a countertop to room temperature for two hours or until the chocolate chips are set before cutting into bars. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
Can you add all oats? As now they don’t make GF rice krispies now ugh… I want to make these … has anyone tried all oats only?
disgusting wrapping them in plastic
cool.
I absolutely love the original & PB no bake granola bars. Everyone loves them & I can’t keep them in the house for more than 3 days max. Since it is such a simple recipe I have played with it so many times (once even using instant oatmeal because I was out of my usual Quaker quick oats – brown sugar cinnamon flavor was actually amazing). My husband needs protein & fiber so I have to sneak it into his food every chance I can. He has been asking me to make some with dried cherries & coconut. Not knowing what flavors would would work to appease him, I went out on a limb. I used coconut oil instead of butter, only used half the honey, added more brown sugar & peanut butter, I lightly toasted: coconut flakes, almond slivers & bran flakes (yes I even toasted bran flakes, let’s say its “different” & leave it at that, I was also out of rice krispies), when my wet mix was at the perfect ball stage I got everything mixed, or at least I thought I did…. dried cherries, why does he even like dried cherries, grab them out of the cabinet, threw them in an started mixing again, for another minute… Maybe this will work, if not, oh well they smell great? I started working on some fresh chocolate chip cookies substituted semisweet chocolate for the milk chocolate (I like Dark he likes milk- compromises), anyway I had some left over AND IT HIT ME, melt the rest down. Lift the granola bars up (I used parchment paper) put new parchment paper down. Pour just enough melted semi sweet chocolate into the pan, place the granola bars on the melted chocolate, and cool (there was enough chocolate to come up the sides – with a little help manipulating the parchment paper). Fingers crossed… I covered them overnight, cut them this morning using a ruler, pizza cutter & eventually a knife to cut through the chocolate bottom, he grabbed one, ate it. Then grabbed a 2nd…. then a 3rd. In my head I’m screaming YES, HE LIKES IT, he asked what I did different, getting defensive I asked why. He said they were actually better I told him very little just toasted coconut. almond & cherries & the chocolate. He took 3 more to work.
This has become one of my kids most requested snacks. They love them and I love that they are easy to make and give me control over what’s in their snack. They are also so easy to adapt to gluten free when my Mom is going to spending time with us.
These sound wonderful. I love no bake granola bars. Could the amount of brown sugar be decreased? Thanks,
[…] The beauty of this recipe is how adaptable it is. You can make lots of granola bar flavor combinations and create your very own recipe, based on what you and your family like. Feel free to add in raisins, nuts, maple syrup, flax seeds, cinnamon, butterscotch chips, coconut, agave, craisins, citrus zest, the list goes on! Or try my peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars. […]
[…] other easy granola recipes take a look at these: No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola, Loaded Pepita Granola, and Simple Orange Almond […]
Hello,
I made this recipe and the bars were very chewy, however, they were far too sweet and lacked peanut butter flavor. Could I decrease the honey to 3 tbsp and brown sugar to 1/3 cup and increase peanut butter to 2/3 cup and butter to 1/3 cup or increase peanut butter to 3/4 cup and keep butter at 1/4 cup? Also, could I do 3 cup quick oats, 1 1/2 cup rice krispies, 1 cup chopped pretzels, and 1/2 cup peanuts? My last question is if I could use 1 flax egg ( 1 tbsp flax meal, 3 tbsp water) to bring the wet ingredients to 1 2/3 cup per your recipe? I don’t want to increase peanut butter, butter, or sugar. Thank you!
[…] 15. Hummus, pita, cucumber slices, carrot sticks, homemade granola bar […]
These are super easy and not only do my kids ask me to make them again and again but so do all of their friends!
These are delicious. Made these for my kids. Easy to make and are so much better than store bought granola bars!
[…] then, I’ve made a million variations that I’ve shared on and off the blog (like this peanut butter version) and every time, we fall in love all over again. I love making variations of the original because […]
This has been a new family favorite of ours just in time for summer days out and about with kids. Thanks!
These have become a staple in my house…all my kids love them and are great to pack in their lunch!
[…] because they’re so versatile, so I thought I might as well change things up a bit! I found this recipe and I knew it would translate really well for these granola bars. The kids have been taking these […]
Hi, I was just wondering why all-natural PB doesn’t work for this? Thanks!
I tried it once and it didn’t seem to hold up through the boiling process. But feel free to try it yourself! I think if you boil it enough, the sugar will get to that happy medium between soft ball and hard ball stage and keep everything together.
Made these and they are amazing
I have made these almost every week for the past six months. My kids (and me) love them! Thanks for the recipe.
Can you freeze these?
Can you suggest a brand and type of oats? I used organic steele cut oats and they were a bit too chewy.
I use quaker rolled oats.
Thank you, Lauren. The recipe says “no rolled oats” so I wasn’t sure. Thank you!
I made these last night and they are SO good! It’ll be fun to play around with the recipe too. I didn’t have PB chips on hand so used Heath bits. Everyone loves them. Thanks!! 🙂
Could you add a scoop of protein powder?
I only have old-fashioned rolled oats. Anyway I can use them in these bars by pre-cooking them or something? We just bought a giant canister at the store. thanks.
I have read if you use old-fashioned oats, to grind them up in a food processor first 😉
Hi, I was also wondering if you’ve tried freezing them. I am worried the wonderful texture may change and that would be a tragedy!
can you freeze them? I was thinking of doubling the batch for later
Just off hand Lauren, Do you know how much protein is in this.. My friend has to eat a lot of protein per day.. The granola bars she buys, she doesn’t really like and I thought maybe this would be good for her…Thanks..
Could I use coconut oil instead of butter?
yes.
Are these gluten free?
We don’t like rice krispies cereal. Is there something else I could sub for it? Perhaps bran flakes, etc.?
Hi, I’m just wondering how long these tend to stay good for.
Tbx,
Julieann
If you have them wrapped individually in plastic, then they’d stay good 1-2 weeks. But in my experience, they won’t last that long 🙂
[…] I realize two days ago I was complaining that it was […]
Yummy! I’m going to try to make these this weekend. Thanks for the recipe!
What a coincidence, when I woke up this morning I knew I wanted to make no bake granola bars today then I go to read my inbox, and see your recipe! So of course I made some!
Hmmm. . .I wonder how they’d work with Nutella?!!?
Homemade granola bars are my FAVORITE! These look so good!
I LOVE your no-bake granola bars recipe and I too remixed them with peanut butter this week! What a coincidence! I made a small pan and I am regretting it now because they’re already done!
LOL! I love your daughter. She and mine would really get along. 🙂
I made your original granola bars all the time at the beginning of the school for my girls’ snack at school, except now they’re lucky if I have my act together enough to shove some saltines in a baggie for a snack #endofschoolyearmommyfatigue
How long do these stay good for?
I need to try these, my kids love granola bars
I do not have kids but I will be making these today for myself. Thanks for sharing!