chewy peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars
11 days in and I am still winning the lunch box battle. Yeah me! This week we’re winning with chewy peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars.
Did you make New Year resolutions? If you did, are you keeping them?
My goals for the new year were pretty simple. Be better organized. Make exercise a bigger priority. More family time, and with teens that is easier said than done, and stay away from buying pre-packaged convenience foods, especially when it comes to lunches.
So far, I think I’m off to a pretty good start. The kids and I have been clearing the clutter in their rooms; my goodness they collect a lot of junk! I may not have gotten exercise to fit in every day, but I am making an effort. We’ve had family movie night, spent Saturday night at a basket ball game, and I have been spending at least one afternoon a week prepping/making snacks for lunches.
That alone has made a big difference.
Stella has been packing her own lunch lately. She’s pretty fussy when it comes to what she likes and doesn’t like, but she’s even fussier when it comes to how that food is handled and packed. I think she finally realized that it was easier for her to do it herself than to explain it to me.
She’s been packing a lot of salads, hard boiled eggs (even though she only likes the whites), she LOVED the soft pretzels, and granola bars. I think she could eat her weight in granola bars. She prefers the crunchy ones, but since getting her braces, they have been a bit harder for her to bite into.
I’ve tried many recipes for chewy granola bars,and while delicious, they never seemed to hold together very well. At least not well enough to have Stella want to pack them in her lunch. These chewy peanut butter and chocolate chip granola bars are perfect in every way. They’re soft and chewy but hold together even when packed. They’re sweet and full of peanut butter and chocolate in every bite, but still better for you than a cookie or other sweet treat. And I bet you already have everything you need to make them right in your pantry or cupboards.
Ingredients
- 3 cups of old fashioned rolled oats (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats )
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- line a 13 x 9 baking dish with parchment, and spray with non-stick cooking spray
- heat oven to 350 degrees
- in a large bowl combine the oats with salt
- in a saucepan combine the brown sugar, honey, coconut oil, peanut butter
- over medium heat, stir the mixture until the coconut oil melts, and the brown sugar dissolves, stir in the vanilla
- pour mixture over the oats, and stir well
- spread oats into the prepared baking pan, pressing gently into an even layer
- bake at 350 for 25 minutes
- cool 5 minutes, and then sprinkle on the mini chocolate chips (press genlty into place)
- cool granola bars completely before cutting
One bite of these chewy peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars, and I promise you’ll never go back to the box again.
Enjoy!
Lunchbox snacks from friends –
caramel apple brownies – lemons for lulu
peanut butter chocolate chip cookies – wine and glue
chex mix muddy buddies – very culinary
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Hey Heather, sounds like you’re having a “stellar” year so far, pun intended. Wahoo. I’m impressed she’s packing salads and hard boiled eggs. Score. These bars look fab and I’d have a hard time packing them off in school lunches without hiding a stash for me first, to have with my morning coffee. Love that you used coconut oil, I’m using that so much now and it’s a great healthy switch out.
Granola bars are wonderful, I love that they are easy to grab on the go! These sound so delicious!
I need to spend some time making some snacks. Still trying to fit more exercise in too. It is tough. I’m sure my daughter would love these granola bars.
Sounds like you have made some good New Year’s Resolutions! I wouldn’t mind these yummy bars in my lunch bag either 🙂
thank you Laura
Oh I can’t wait to give these bars a try!
Sounds like your New Years is off to a wonderful start!
thanks Kristen, so far so good!
Dear Heather, this year I am determined to get back into shape. I think making homemade, healthy snacks is a great first step. These look marvelous and it is so funny because today while I was shopping I was looking at the granola and cereal. Not only is making your own better for you but also cheaper! I will pinning these to try soon. xoxo, Catherine
you are so right! better for you and your wallet; my goal is to make everything from scratch this year
Cheryl is going to go crazy over these and I’ve been looking for a good snack to pack in her lunch!
thanks Kathy! my kids devoured them
I lived on granola bars when I was in school too… and still love them now! making these next!
they are a lunch box staple here as well
I love your resolutions this year! one of my goals was to treat my body better. I know that I will be treating it with this granola! Good Stuff
thanks chandra!
These look fantastic! My favorite-5-year-old is going to LOVE them. 🙂
thank you Susan!
Peanut butter, chocolate chip granola bars are my daughter’s favorite bars. She’d love it if I made up a batch of these for her!
they are my kids’ favorite too!
I totally have to make these with the kiddos! They will love them. And seriously, I kind of can’t WAIT for my kids to be old enough to deal with their own fussiness, lol! Thanks for the link love!
any time lady 🙂 thanks
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