Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
I love the convenience of grabbing a granola bar as a snack or an on-the-go breakfast when I am running late for work. But what I don’t love is all of the added sugar they contain or their high price tag.
One of my favorite granola bars is the KIND Healthy Grains bars. They are lower in sugar than most granola bars and are quite tasty! I used these bars as an inspiration and a starting point when creating this recipe. While they contain some of the same ingredients, oats, quinoa, peanut butter and semi-sweet chocolate, they have a different texture and flavor. I was originally going to title this post “Copycat KIND Bars,” but they did not end up resembling the KIND bars as much as I originally hoped.
These chocolate peanut butter bars turn out to be softer and a bit more crumbly than the KIND bar, but I enjoyed the rich peanut butter and chocolate flavor!
So how do these bars stand up nutritionally compared to the KIND Healthy Grains bars? They were higher in calories and had about the same amount of sugar as the KIND bars. Now just because they are higher in calories does NOT mean they are not a healthy snack option. The extra calories comes from the large amount of peanut butter used in the recipe, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Fat helps us stay full and satisfied! Nothing is worse than eating a snack that leaves you feeling hungry 30 minutes later!
These bars are very easy to make and don’t even require turning on the oven, so…
Let’s get cooking!
First, melt the chocolate and crunchy peanut in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.
While the chocolate and peanut butter is melting, line a 8×8 pan with parchment paper and set aside. The parchment paper will allow for easy removal of the bars once they are cooled.
Once you have a gooey chocolaty peanut butter mixture, add in the rinsed quinoa, honey, vanilla, quick oats, puffed rice cereal and mini chocolate chips.
Pour the mixture into the prepared 8×8 pan and firmly press the mixture into the pan. Refrigerate the mixture for at least an hour. When the hour is up, lift the bars from the pan by pulling the parchment paper up. Cut into 6 pieces and enjoy!
Pair a bar with a banana for the perfect on-the go breakfast or stash one away for a filling afternoon pick-me-up. Since the bars are crumbly, you could sprinkle the extra crumbs left in the pan on top of some Greek yogurt with a sliced banana as well.
Don’t feel like turning on the stove, melt the chocolate and peanut butter in the oven! Just be sure to stir the mixture every 15 seconds or so to avoid burning the chocolate!
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup quinoa rinsed
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/4 cup puffed rice cereal
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Over medium-low heat, melt the peanut butter and 2 tbsp of the mini chocolate chips.
- While the peanut butter and chocolate is melting, prepare the 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- Once peanut butter and chocolate is melted, add the rinsed quinoa, honey, vanilla, quick oats, and puffed rice cereal.
- Place the mixture into the prepared 8×8 baking dish and press the mixture firmly into the pan, using your hands or a spatula.
- Once the bars are packed down, sprinkle the bars with the remaining 2 tbsp of mini chocolate chips and press them firmly into the bars.
- Refrigerate the bars for at least one hour prior to cutting into six pieces.