Recipe for Peanut Butter Granola Bars
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These bars are no bake, stored in the refrigerator, filling, and tender. What’s more, they’re actually on the healthier side of things. Well, for now. I mean, give it a week or so and someone is going to decide oats are unhealthy, it’s only a matter of time :). The ingredients are as simple as they can be and the bulk of the “cooking” process involves stirring and patting into a pan. They make an excellent breakfast or a quick energy snack in between meals and since they aren’t “too sweet” they are perfect for school mornings when you want your kid to be well fed but not bouncing off the walls :).
In short, I love them and I made a huge batch at a fraction of what I used to pay for the store bought Milk Bite version. The options with this are limitless, really. If you have any peanut butter allergies, use sun butter. Add in dried fruit, nuts, coconut, whatever you like to personalize them. You can follow my recipe to the letter or use it as a springboard for something entirely different.
Let’s get to it so I can get me another bite of one of these bars!
Recipe Ingredients:
- Oats
- Evaporated Milk (can use regular)
- Peanut Butter
- Honey
- Vanilla My Vanilla was not in the mood for photographs today and we mustn’t pressure our ingredients when they wake up on the wrong side of the pantry.
On my finished product, I melted some white chocolate chips and drizzled that over in addition to sprinkling a little bit of coarse sea salt on top of the chocolate before it set. It was a wonderful touch.
Place all of your ingredients (except oats) in a large bowl and microwave for a minute or two until the peanut butter is good and melty and can be easily stirred together with all the other ingredients. You can do this in a pot on top of the stove if that makes things more right in your world.
Stir that together until smooth. Add oats. Stir until very well coated.
Press into an 8×8 pan. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
If you want to make a pretty topping like I did, melt chocolate chips (flavor of your choice) in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then spoon into a zipper seal bag. Snip a corner off and squeeze in a zig zag (or zag zig, depending on your level of rebelliousness) pattern on top of the bars. Sprinkle lightly with coarse sea or kosher salt.
Cut into bars and store in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or freeze for up to three months (or until you remember they are there and decide to eat them).
I LOVE HAVING THESE IN MY FRIDGE and you will, too!
Ingredients
- 6 cups quick oats
- 12 ounce can milk or 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except for oats in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat for about a minute or two, just until peanut butter is a little melty. Stir with a large spoon until mixture is creamy and well blended.
- Stir in oats until fully incorporated.
- Press mixture into an 8x8 pan. Cover and refrigerate until chilled before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
You may enjoy these peanut butter no bake recipes:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls No Baking Necessary
Peanut Butter No Bake Cookie Bites
“Live your happiest life by knowing that often Plan B is even better than Plan A. Ditto on Plan C.”
~Unknown 🙂
Please tell me what you mean by sun butter. I have never heard of it!
It is like peanut butter but made with sunflower seeds instead of peanuts. 🙂
I plan to make these as soon as I can remember to buy honey when I go to the store! I have been twice and keep forgetting!
I was wondering if you took requests for recipes? If so, can I throw this one into the ring? Beef jerky? How to make beef jerky. I saw your post on watermelon jerky which we intend to try if we ever get enough watermelon that everyone doesn’t eat it before I have a chance to try this! Anyway, I have seen a few recipes online that I am hesitant to try. EVERYTHING I have tried from your website and your cookbooks, has not failed me on the first try! So I thought I would ask (beg) for you to just put it in the back of your mind for when inspiration might be likely to strike!
Apologies, for submitting this in this fashion, I did not see a way to make suggestions on your website! Perhaps you are just so popular now that you cannot take all the suggestions? I would sure think so! Everyone who asks me aobut your recipes, I refer them to you!
Take care and please keep these EASY and awesome recipes coming! I am like a SUPERSTAR at my work and family potlucks!
Hi Christy, I just wanted to thank you for those wonderful Refrigerator-Peanut Butter-Milk-Granola Bars. They were simply fantastic, I’m eating one now-Ha-Ha! Be Blessed and Keep Cooking Up Those Wonderful Dishes!
I am so glad to hear that you liked them Annette!!!
Christy: I made these today and added in a bag of sun maid fruit bits. These will make a perfect breakfast change for me along with a yogurt. I never had the Kraft Milk Bites but this recipe sure is Tasty!!! Thank you for sharing your creation. Nancy
I am so glad you liked them Nancy!!
I’m wondering if a can of coconut milk (or cream of coconut) would work. Or almond milk?
Either would work great. Just go with your favorite 🙂
Where have you been all my life? I have been searching for a refrigerator granola bar for so long that I had almost given up on finding one that looks like it might just work. I cannot wait to make ’em. Can you tell me what “Biscoff” is, and how would you incorporate Nutella in them, as the glaze perhaps? I hope mine turn out as good as yours looks. 🙂
Hey LaWanda!! Biscoff are those delicious cookies served on airplanes, and then they took those are turned them into cookie butter, which is the texture of peanut butter, but made out of cookies!! To use Nutella, just replace the peanut butter with the Nutella, let me know how they turn out!!
Is it the Zoet Speculoos Cookie Butter? Oh, man, am I in trouble now! 🙂 Oh, and I will definitely let you know how they turned out! Thanks again.
I am making these right now! I added some mixed nuts and coconut. A hint to make getting the melted chocolate into the bag more easily is to put the bag into a mug and fold the bag over the edge of the mug – holds the bag open and steady for the melted chocolate.
Thanks for the hint on how to get the melted chocolate into the bag more easily!
GREAT tip Susan!!!