Sometimes you just want a delightful little snack! With honey, peanut butter, vanilla, toasted oats, a pinch of cinnamon, peanuts, and a sprinkling of chocolate chips, these homemade granola bars are just that. And they only take about fifteen minutes to make!
This is *almost* a no-bake recipe. I did turn on the oven to toast the oats, but other than that, I made these granola bars in a saucepan on the stove. So easy! This is also a great recipe to make with little helpers and would be the perfect snack to pack for school or work.
Old-fashioned rolled oats is more traditional for granola bars but I was too lazy to go to the store today so I used the instant oats I had in the pantry and I loved them! The bars are so soft. They don’t hurt your teeth, they’re not too sweet, they’re just right.
I will definitely be making lots of variations of this with almonds and hazelnuts, dried cherries, dried cranberries, and more. You could do so much with this base recipe.
Homemade Granola Bars
Makes 10-12
2 1/2 cups instant oats or old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” square baking dish with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray.
- Spread oats out on a jelly roll sheet and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes.
- While the oats are toasting, whisk together the honey, butter, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Let the sauce bubble away for one minute while whisking constantly, then remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon.
- Gently stir in the toasted oats and peanuts. Make sure every oat and nut is well coated!
- Spread mixture into prepared pan, pressing the mixture down firmly with the bottom of a greased measuring cup. Let cool for about five minutes before sprinkling mini chocolate chips on top, pressing the chips gently into the bars.
- Chill in the fridge for one and a half hours. Lift the bars out of the pan, slice, and serve. Store in the fridge for up to a week.
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