No Bake Peanut Butter Chia Granola Bars
Now that I'm back to work (you know, for one whole day) I've been trying to prep lots of meals ahead for lunches and dinner. For lunch this week I made soup (recipe coming next week...it's a GOOD one!) and a chicken and veggie quinoa casserole (another recipe coming soon!) and prepped a pot roast for the slow cooker for my first day back at work.
There's not much better than coming home from a long day of work to a hot meal in the slow cooker, is there? I suppose if there was a pan of brownies in the oven too and a glass of wine waiting for me, that would be pretty nice too.
Along with the meals, I knew I was definitely going to need some snacks to get me through my work day. Last week this snack was my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars but this week it's another new favorite treat: No Bake (!!!) Peanut Butter Chia Granola Bars.
These are definitely going to be on my go-to list of easy snacks. They are super quick and simple to throw together and get bonus points for being no-bake. And while I made them into bars, they would definitely work as energy bites too, you would just roll them into balls.
Can we talk about how these are able to be no-bake? I've made my share of no-bake granola bars before, only to have them falling apart when I try to cut them into bars. No bueno.
In this recipe, the addition of coconut oil and chia really binds everything together together and, especially when kept cold, they will cut perfectly into solid bars. I made these in a 9x9" pan which, as you can see, resulted in pretty thick bars. If you prefer thinner bars, I would make them in a 9x13" pan.
Another fabulous thing about these? They have some serious hunger satisfying powers. They are super dense and filling, and have no problem keeping me satisfied from snack hour until dinner time.
No Bake Peanut Butter Chia Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- ½ cup ground or whole flaxseed
- ⅓ cup chia seeds
- ⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup peanut butter
- ⅔ cup honey
- ⅓ cup coconut oil measured melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In large bowl combine oats, flaxseed, chia seeds, coconut, and salt.
- In medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla.
- Pour over oat mixture and stir well.
- Spray 9x9" for thicker bars or 9x13" for thinner bars with cooking spray.
- Spread mixture into pan and press firmly down. I sprayed my hands with cooking spray to do this so the mixture wouldn't stick to my hands.
- Refrigerate for two hours, then cut into bars.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Store these in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They can be stored at room temperature, however they are firmer and hold together better if they are refrigerated.
- Add 1 cup of chocolate chips for a little sweet treat!
Planning food ahead of time definitely makes life easier, and these granola bars would be an epic way of keeping the hungry monster under control. I love all the health benefits these things pack in!
I hope your first day back went well for both you and Lars! Love these granola bars! I'm always on the hunt for new granola bar recipes to try!
I need to utilize my slow cooker more! I'm using it today, so that's a start. These granola bars look amazing, Taylor! I love the sound of the chia and coconut, and no bake is always a bonus!
homemade granola is always a genius quick snack! I love this recipe, they look so hearty!
These are delicious!!!! Just cut them up and ate a few! 🙂 question for you... What's your preferred way to store them? If it ok to leave them in a Rubbermaid container on the counter or do you leave them in the fridge?
Thanks Lori! I like to store them in the refrigerator - they hold up better cold 🙂
These bars are amazing! They’re a new family favorite snack.