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Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

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Simple chewy bars made with oats, peanut butter, honey, crisp rice cereal, and chocolate chips. The finalized version stays close to the family recipe while removing the unsafe raw flour.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings: 12 bars
Course: Breakfast, Snacks & Simple Treats
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups Rolled oats (about 160 g)
  • 2 Tbsp Oil
  • 1/3 cup Honey (about 113 g)
  • 1/2 cup Creamy peanut butter (about 128 g)
  • 1/2 cup Crisp rice cereal
  • 1/4 cup Pareve chocolate chips (about 45 g)

Equipment

  • Small sheet pan
  • Parchment paper
  • large mixing bowl
  • Small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl
  • 8x8-inch pan

Method
 

  1. Toast the oats. Heat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Toss the oats with the oil and spread on a small sheet pan. Bake 5-8 minutes until lightly toasted.
  2. Prepare the pan. Line or lightly grease an 8x8-inch pan.
  3. Warm the binder. Warm the honey and peanut butter together until smooth and easy to stir.
  4. Mix the bars. Combine the toasted oats and crisp rice cereal. Pour in the warm peanut butter-honey mixture and stir until coated.
  5. Cool slightly. Let the mixture cool a few minutes so the chocolate chips do not melt completely.
  6. Add chocolate chips. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  7. Press firmly. Transfer to the prepared pan and press down very firmly and evenly.
  8. Chill. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until set.
  9. Cut. Lift out and cut into bars or squares.

Notes

Recipe #110
Category: Breakfast, Snacks & Simple Treats
Yield: About 12 bars
Method: Toast, mix, press, chill
Prep: About 15 minutes
Bake/Freeze: Toast 5-8 min; chill at least 1 hr
Difficulty: Beginner-friendly
Recipe Details
Kosher: Pareve when using pareve chocolate chips. Texture: Chewy, nutty, and lightly crisp from the cereal. Best feature: A quick make-ahead snack with no complicated steps.
Important Safety Correction
The family card included 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour but did not bake the finished bars. The finalized website version removes the flour entirely so the bars are safe and still true to the original style.
What a Beginner Should Look For
Toasted oats: Lightly golden and fragrant, not dark brown. Binder: Smooth and pourable. Pressed pan: Firmly compacted with an even top. Finished bars: Hold together when cut.
Why the Flour Was Removed
Comparable no-bake granola bars use oats, cereal, peanut butter, and honey without flour. Because the family bars were only refrigerated, not baked after mixing, removing the raw flour was the safest and cleanest correction.
Beginner Tips
  • Do not over-toast the oats.
  • Press the mixture very firmly so the bars hold together.
  • Let the mixture cool slightly before adding chocolate chips.
  • Line the pan for easy removal.
  • Chill fully before cutting.
  • Use a sharp knife for clean cuts.
Troubleshooting
Bars crumble: They were not pressed firmly enough or were cut before fully chilled. Chocolate chips melt: The mixture was still too hot when they were added. Bars are too sticky: Chill them longer before cutting. Bars seem dry: Make sure the honey and peanut butter were measured accurately. Bars stick to the pan: Use parchment or grease the pan well.
Variations
  • Add a few chopped peanuts.
  • Drizzle the top with melted chocolate.
  • Cut into small snack squares for lunchboxes.
Make Ahead, Storage & Freezing
Refrigerator: Store airtight up to 1 week. Freezer: Freeze layered with parchment up to 2 months.
Tip to Hand Down
When it comes to no-bake granola bars, firm pressing matters almost as much as the ingredients - compact them well and they will slice cleanly.

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