No Bake, Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup creamy natural drippy peanut butter (just peanuts & salt)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons honey (or use coconut palm syrup or date syrup if vegan)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup flaxseed meal
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats, gluten free if desired
- 1/3 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped* (or sub chopped pecans)
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- For on top:
- 2 tablespoons roasted almonds, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
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Add peanut butter, coconut oil, honey, vanilla and cinnamon to a medium saucepan and place over low heat. Stir every so often until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Remove from heat and immediately stir in flaxseed meal, chia and oats. Fold in almonds and shredded coconut and stir until combined.
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Line an 8x4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper; pour granola bar mixture in and spread out evenly, then press down in the pan very firmly. Press remaining roasted almonds on top.
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Place dark chocolate chips and ½ teaspoon coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second increments, stirring in between until chocolate is completely smooth and melted. Drizzle diagonally over bars.
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Cover the bars with foil, and place bars in the freezer for 15-20 minutes or in the fridge for 30 minutes-1 hour or until mixture has hardened. Remove bars from pan and cut into 8 granola bars anyway you'd like. Store bars in the fridge, either individually wrapped in plastic or in foil. Bars will last up to 1 week in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
To roast almonds:
Stove top method: Place almonds in a small pan over medium heat. Stir until toasted and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. They are done as soon as they start looking darker and smell toasty. Immediately remove the pecans from the pan to a bowl or paper towel to prevent burning.
Oven method: You can also toast the almonds in the oven on a baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 7-9 minutes. I prefer this method
To make bars vegan: Use coconut palm syrup or date syrup instead of honey.
To make bars nut free: Use sunflower seed butter and sunflower seeds in the recipe. Please be aware there is coconut in this recipe if you are sensitive to it.
Feel free to double the recipe and place in an 8x8 inch pan.
Feel free to use any natural nut butter you’d like.