No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars

We all have those afternoon cravings where whatever  you had for lunch has now fully digested and your stomach is saying "feed me, feed me" and you know you cannot make it until dinner. So if you anything like me you end up usually grabbing either an apple (which we all know does not make you feel full for more than a mere few minutes) or a small bag of chips, or popcorn. Well drop that bag of chips and dare I say drop that apple because these No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars will satisfy your sweet tooth and keep you feeling full until dinner (I hope) and will give you that boost of energy you need to stay alert until you get home.

A few months ago I found this recipe on Pinterest for no bake peanut butter and honey bars so of course I made them and they turned out to be really good so I started thinking how I can make them even better, so today I deiced since it is freezing out why not experiment with them and see what happens. And let me tell you they turned out really good. Now I call these granola bars because that's what they seem like to me but you can call them whatever you want.

The first thing you will need to do is gather your ingredients, you will need; Rolled Oats, peanut butter (I recommend creamy), honey, craisins, cinnamon and mini chocolate chips (optional).

Oats, honey, peanut butter, craisins, cinnamon, 

Measure out 1/4 cup  honey and pour into a sauce pan 

Measure out 1/2 cup peanut butter and place in to the same sauce pan as the honey

Honey and Peanut Butter!

When measuring out they honey and peanut butter I recommend spraying what ever you are using to measure it out with some non-stick cooking spray because honey and peanut butter are very sticky and this will make the experience much much easier. 

Cook over medium to medium low heat.  

Until smooth, this only takes about a minute and make sure to stir the whole time. 

Next with the heat off or on very low heat add in 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
and mix it in. 

Next turn off the heat add in your  1 1/2 cup rolled oats. 

And mix to until combined

No you could leave it just like this and skip down a few pictures to see what to do next but I wanted to change them up a bit so here we go!

Next add in a heaping spoon full of dried craisins (optional) add as much as you want.
And mix to combined. 

You may find that it is really hard to mix so you can turn your burner back to very low heat and mix as well. 

Grab your parchment paper or tin foil and a small baking sheet mine is a 7.5 X 7.5
and non-stick spray (not pictured)

Place parchment in the pan so it goes up the sides 

You will want to spray the pan with the non stick spray and then take a piece of parchment paper that is the same width as the pan you are using and place it in side the pan. Make sure the parchment goes up the sides of the pan so you can pull out the bars after they cooled. You will do this on the other side as well. I also recommend spraying the first piece of parchment you put down, just on the top down at the bottom just one spritz will do just so the next piece has something to cling to. 

With tin foil you don't need cooking spray. 

repeat a second time to get something like this. 

Take your bar mixture (does not have to be cooled) and pour it into the baking dish

Press mixture into your pan (using your hands makes it easier)

Top with whatever you like, I did craisins, and mini chocolate chips

Then you are going to put this loveliness into the fridge for about 45 minutes to an hour or until it is cooled and the bars have hardened a bit. 

One hour later.......

Pull out the bars from the pan after they have cooled and hardened. 

Cut them to be however big you want them. 

Perfect snack size 

Baby bars! 

Wrap'um up!

I like to wrap mine up individually because then its easier to grab one on the way to school, work, or just when your leaving in a hurry and want something to eat now or later because they wont spoil if not cooled they just hold their shape better cold. 

All you need to do is cut some plastic wrap to size and wrap them up. 

The finished product! YUM!!!!!

All wrapped up and ready for the week!!

So as you can see these are very easy to make and really only take about 15 to 20 minutes to make and then 1 hour or so to cool and, 15 minutes to cut and wrap! And they make the best quick snack that is good for you because you know everything that went into them and how much.

You can totally change it up and add what ever you want, maybe some dried apples or bananas. Maybe some cashews, nuts, sunflower seeds, you can add what ever you want to make them your perfect granola bar. 

The possibilities are endless! 

Recipe 

1 1/2 cup Rolled Oats

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup Honey (or maple syrup, agave)

Optional

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 heaping spoon full craisins 

1/2 spoon full mini chocolate chips

In a sauce pan add in the honey and peanut butter. Turn on the heat to medium or medium low and heat until smooth stir the whole time. 

Add in cinnamon and mix until combined. Remove mixture and pan from the heat and mix in your oats until combined. Next add in your craisins or what ever you like. 

Take a sprayed and lined baking sheet and pour the mixture in to the baking sheet. Press it evenly into the pan. 

Place in fridge for about 1 hour and refrigerate until cooled and hardened some. 

After they have cooled, take them out of the fridge and take them out of the pan.  Cut them in to whatever size pieces you would like. Wrap them in plastic wrap and place in fridge until you want to eat one! 

Lasts for about a week.

Makes 14 to 15. 

Before I go I wanted to say this recipe is very easy to double and will turn out great if you double it as well. 

Happy Cooking!