I call these bars “indulgent” because they rival many store bought options in the sugar category but when you’re looking for a more wholesome, less chemical and preservative filled alternative to your Fiber One bar, these 6 ingredient squares of deliciousness are sure to satisfy your hunger and your sweet tooth!
What you’ll need…
Medium sauce pan
Rubber spatula
Large-ish caserole dish or other ~2″ deep container
Parchment paper
Ingredients…
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup honey (go local!) ~( , )~
1 cup chunky peanut butter or other nut butter
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
2 tbsp unsweetened, shredded coconut
2 tsp vanilla extract
The BEST parts about this recipe is how customizable it is! Want less sugar? Reduce the honey or use darker chocolate (you could take out the chocolate altogether, but then we can’t be friends so…)! More protein? Add walnuts or almonds! Try pretzel pieces, chia seeds, dried pineapple! Play around with the ratio of dry to wet ingredients. MAKE THEM YOUR OWN!
What to do…
1. Line your casserole dish with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Put your pan on a burner over medium heat and start to warm up the honey and peanut butter together. When the mixture becomes soupy, stir in the vanilla extract and then the oats, a little at a time.
3. Once well combined, add chocolate chips and shredded coconut and shut off the heat. This is also when you can add your other favorite mix-ins! I like my chocolate chips really melty but if you’d prefer whole chips, let the oat mixture cool slightly and add them last.
4. While everything is still warm, use the rubber spatula to transfer to the parchment lined casserole dish. I use a 9×13 glass dish which yields 16 bars that are about 1″ thick. The smaller your dish the thicker your bars will be. Place the casserole dish in the refrigerator to allow the bars to set. Once hardened you can cut them into bars and enjoy!
This recipe is great to do with kids because they can add their favorite ingredients (shout out to the picky eaters!) and you can pronounce every ingredient on the list.
Give them a try and share how you made them your own!
