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Full of hearty oats and rich peanut butter flavor, these Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars are the perfect blend of salty and sweet. Finished off with a chocolate drizzle, these soft and chewy bars are the ultimate snack.
Homemade Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars
Oatmeal peanut butter bars are a great way to eat your oatmeal on the go!
I know store-bought granola bars are considered a healthy snack, but if you’ve ever checked out the ingredients on most commercial brands, they contain a ton of sugar.
Making homemade peanut butter oatmeal bars means I can prepare them ahead of time using whatever ingredients I want. Then, they’re ready to go when I need a quick snack or breakfast on the go. Because oats = breakfast, right….?
They’re packed with fiber and protein, and they’re chock full of deliciousness! They’re not sugar-free or gluten-free, but making these bars from scratch is a great way to control what you put in and keep out!
You can make some healthier swaps like using whole wheat flour and using raisins instead of chocolate chips, if you prefer.
Keep any leftover oats and chocolate chips for oatmeal chocolate chip quick bread, brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or these zucchini oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars vs Granola Bars
The no-bake chewy granola bars I make are held together with butter, honey, and oats. They’re crispy and chewy, but they’re not soft and cakey like the chewy oatmeal bars that contain flour and peanut butter.
Why you’ll love Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Quick and simple – They are made with simple, wholesome ingredients and ready in 25-30 minutes start to finish.
They taste amazing – The sweet and salty combination of the peanut butter and chocolate chips. The hearty oats, and the optional chocolate peanut butter drizzle on top. Yum!
An anytime snack – Post workout, after school, afternoon pick-me-up, before bed, you name it!
Tools you’ll need
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Light Brown Sugar: Using brown sugar over white sugar keeps the bars moist but also gives them extra flavor.
- Peanut Butter: Skippy or Jif creamy peanut butter will hold the structure of the bars much better than natural peanut butter, which is thinner and tends to separate.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds great flavor which goes nicely with the peanut butter and chocolate.
- All Purpose Flour: Used to hold the oatmeal bars together. Don’t use too much of it or your bars could end up dry and dense.
- Old Fashioned Oats: I like the full, hearty texture old fashioned rolled oats, however you can use quick or instant oats if you prefer. They’ll give you a softer texture.
- Baking Soda: Keeps these babies soft and chewy!
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavors. It also brings a nice balance to the sugar, preventing it from being too sweet.
- Milk: The oatmeal and peanut butter combination is quite thick. Milk helps to thin it out into a spreadable batter.
- Chocolate Chips: Use whatever chocolate chips you prefer. I always opt for dark, but milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or white chocolate chips will work.
- For the Drizzle: Chocolate chips and peanut butter.
How to make Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump- Step One: Use a large mixing bowl and beaters to cream the brown sugar and peanut butter until light and fluffy. While continuing to mix, add in the vanilla. Pause to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Step Two: Turn the mixer to medium speed and add in the flour, oats, salt, and baking soda. The dough will be thick and lumpy.
- Step Three: In a slow and steady stream, add the milk to thin it out. A proper dough should form.
- Step Four: Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to fold in the chocolate chips. Do not overmix, however you want to make sure the chips are evenly distributed.
- Step Five: Spread the dough into a prepared baking dish and bake for 17-20 minutes until lightly golden. Cool before slicing.
If you want to add the drizzle, microwave the peanut butter and chocolate for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each zap until melted and smooth. Drizzle over the oatmeal peanut butter bars and allow them to set.
- The drizzle is optional. You can also just used chocolate drizzle or peanut butter drizzle on its own.
- If adding the drizzle, wait until the bars have cooled. Otherwise, the drizzle will thin out and become runny.
- For easy lifting, when lining the baking dish with parchment paper, I like to extend the sides of the paper up above the rim. It makes it easy to lift the whole batch out of the pan for easy slicing.
- For clean cuts, use a sharp knife and wipe the blade between each one.
How to store Baked Oatmeal Bars
How to store leftovers
Keep leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container so the moist bars don’t dry out.
How long will oatmeal peanut butter bars last in the fridge?
They’ll keep fresh for up to 2 weeks.
Can I freeze them?
Yes! Once they are completely cooled and sliced into squares, layer them pieces with parchment paper (if you have more than what would be a single layer) and place them in a freezer bag. Keep the oatmeal peanut butter bars frozen for up to 3 months. Take out what you need and let it thaw at room temperature.
FAQs
Should you eat them warm?
These are great slightly warm with a cold glass of milk, but just as tasty at room temperature or straight out of the fridge.
What other mix-ins can I add?
You want to be careful with the ratio of dry ingredients to wet ingredients so the oatmeal bars don’t end up dry and crumbly. I wouldn’t add too many mix-ins with the chocolate chips, however, you could replace them altogether.
Try using raisins, cranberries, dried berries, peanut butter chips, chopped almonds, walnuts, or peanuts instead.
Are oatmeal bars healthy?
I tell myself they are lol Healthy is relative, of course, and while these bars do contain refined sugar (which some people avoid), they also contain whole oats and peanut butter which are high in protein, fiber, and healthy fat. They’re not processed like store-bought granola bars and anything homemade can be made using ingredients you prefer.
Need more bar recipes? Try these:
Cookies and Cream Caramel Layer Bars
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Click here for my entire collection of bars and brownies.
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose white flour
- 1 ¼ cup old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk I used 2%
- ½ cup chocolate chips
For the chocolate drizzle (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons chocolate chips
- 1 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the brown sugar and peanut butter. With a hand mixer on medium, beat until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- Add in the vanilla while mixing, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- With the mixer on medium speed, add in the flour, oats, salt, and baking soda. The dough will be very thick and clumpy.1 cup all purpose white flour, 1 1/4 cup old fashioned oats, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- In a slow and steady stream, add in the milk, mixing until a dough forms.1/2 cup milk
- Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula until evenly distributed.1/2 cup chocolate chips
- Once dough is completely combined, lightly press it into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the bars are lightly golden and set. Allow to cool.
For the drizzle (optional)
- To a small microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring between each, until melted and smooth.2 Tablespoons chocolate chips, 1 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter
- Drizzle the mixture over the bars. Once set, slice into 12 bars.
Notes
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Chocolate drizzle is optional.
- I recommend using a “regular” peanut butter like Skippy or Jif instead of a natural peanut butter that can separate.
- Quick oats can be used but I recommend old fashioned oats for better texture.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me on Instagram @melissa_pplates so I can see!Originally published October 12, 2012
Did You Make This?
If you made this recipe, I’d love to know how it went in the comments section below.
You can also tag me on Instagram – @melissa_pplates or share a pic in the Persnickety Plates Community Facebook group. I love seeing what you’ve tried!
OMG yum!!!!!! They look amazing, minus the raisins. Haha! Happy Friday!
Those look very good! Please share.
what a great recipe! LOVE Sally’s ideas
found you on OLBC group – new follower
please mail me some of these. they look delicious!
YUMMY !
These look scrumptious
Mmmmm…my favorite ingredients all mixed together! I would love to have you stop by ‘Or so she says…’ today and share some of your great ideas with my readers! The ‘Your Great Idea’ link party runs every Sat through Tuesday. Hope to see you there! http://www.oneshetwoshe.com
I can’t wait to give these a shot! Thanks for sharing these with us at http://www.facebook.com/RealHouseMoms
Mmm I made M&M Oatmeal Bars last week for my son’s lunchbox snack…and I may have eaten half the pan myself. He only got 2 out of the whole thing to bring to school. Whoops. LOL. I think I, I mean, HE would really love these 🙂
Thanks for linking these up to Tasty Thursday too!
You were one of the most clicked for last week’s TT: http://fantasticalsharingofrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/10/tasty-treasures_27.html