Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars with protein and oats! Loaded with complex carbs, healthy fats and protein, this homemade granola bar recipe is perfect for healthy breakfast or snack! Gluten Free + Low Calorie + Vegan
I'm 39 and I still don't understand men. I swear no matter what age they are, they still act like they're 15. Ladies, please tell me you agree.
Those of you who read this, asked about the date that didn't happen. Here's the deal. Guy texts me and asks me out. I tell him the days I'm available. He says he'll get back to me on the day we tentatively set. The day before he texts saying he's going out with a buddy and doesn't know what the plans are, but maybe we could meet later for a drink later like 10-11pm.
I felt like he was putting me on standby in case his other plans didn't workout which is unacceptable. Let's not mention the fact that this comes off more like a booty call than a date. Seriously, WTF. Needless to say, it didn't happen.
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The next day he texts asking to meet for lunch with one hour notice. I purposely shutoff my phone that day for a final. When I saw his text later, I was annoyed. Does this guy think I'm just waiting around eagerly for his manly texts to sweep me off my feet?
Whatever happened to men being respectful, bringing you flowers and being willing to drop plans to see you? Maybe things don't happen that way anymore? I dunno.
So yea...this guy gets one last chance to get it right otherwise I am moving on. And believe me, I've got all kinds of guys coming out of the woodwork lately. Must be the new hip. 😉
In more delicious news, I've been trying to perfect a homemade granola bar recipe forever. Every one I've ever made falls apart, tastes weird or I dunno. Something's just off.
While I do have a few store bought ones I buy regularly, it's hard finding clean granola bars without a ton of added sugar and wonky ingredients. I dare you to find one. There's not many.
When you've been through hormone problems like I have, you become more aware of what you're putting in your body. Sometimes I wish I wasn't a nutritionist and knew these things. **Sigh**
But these Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars are by far the BEST granola bar recipe I've ever made and I'm not just saying that. Okay, these bars are beyond perfect but technically, they're not a granola bar. I highly recommend you make them if you haven't. After you make these, of course. 😉
So yes, these Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars made with oats and protein taste perfect, cook perfect, hold together perfect and are nutritionally balanced. Customizable too! I added mini chips to mine, but you could get crazy adding nuts, seeds, raisins or other dried fruits.
All around the perfect everyday granola bar. Easy to make too! Combine all ingredients in a bowl, place in a baking dish and bake 15 minutes. Seriously, that easy.
Now if only dating were that easy...
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup Gluten Free rolled oats
- 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted peanut butter or any nut butter
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips dairy free
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350 F. Prepare an 8-inch x 8-inch square baking dish by lining with parchment paper.
- To a small bowl, combine vanilla, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, peanut butter and sugar. Mix to combine well.
- To a larger bowl, combine rolled oats, protein powder, flax meal, cinnamon and salt.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until fully incorporated. Then fold chips into the batter dispersing them well.
- Transfer the batter to the baking dish, spreading into an even layer with a spatula pressing into the corners. I found using my hands was helpful!
- Bake 17 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool in the pan 20 minutes. Lift the parchment paper out of the baking pan and set on a cutting board. Slice into 16 bars.
- Optional: drizzle melted chocolate over the top.
Video
Notes
- For the recipe, I've also used 1/2 cup Gluten Free Oat Flour with 1/2 cup Gluten Free Rolled Oats. Either method works!
- My Amazon shop has more products similar to those used for this recipe and that I recommend to my nutrition clients.
Nutrition
What I Used For The Recipe
Hi there, thank you for this delicious recipe. I've been looking for something to enjoy with my coffee every morning that isn't some big box brand. My wife surprised me and made them for me last night and they are very tasty! As I'm tracking macros right now I had a question about the nutrition facts. The serving size says 1G but I'm guessing it means one bar? How many grams would you consider an appropriate size for one bar?
Hi Aaron! Glad you liked the bars! The nutritional values represent 1 bar.
got it thanks Megan!
Also do they keep at room temperature or do they have to go in the fridge? I want to take them to a cottage and they can't be in the fridge for quite a few hours. Thanks!
They should be stored in the fridge, but they'll keep just fine a few hours out of it.
can you substitute the protein powder? just not something we use, but love the look of the recipe
You should be able to substitute oat flour.
Has anybody tried to sub oat flour? I'm curious of the result, thank you!
Peanut butter and chocolate are the best combo! As far as the possible date, I would move on, because there are good men out there worth waiting for.
Thanks for telling me that!
I am all for chocolate and pb combined- can't wait to try these!
Hope you love them Laura!
Those look amazing!! AND no more chances for that guy.. I think that tells it all!
Haha...thanks lady!
Is there coconut sugar in the recipe? I think you left it off the ingredient list? These look delicious. Good luck on the dating scene
For some reason it wasn't showing on your end, but it should be now.
These look amazing! On a note about men, don't write us all off. There are still some of us good ones out there. Yes, we do all act like we are 15 most of the time.....well pretty much all of the time. But some of us were raised right and taught to treat women the old fashioned way, you know hold the door and all that jazz. Keep the yummy stuff coming!
Good to know Patrick!
Ugh, sorry about the dating experience - sounds like a bad sitcom! This recipe looks amazing, can't wait to try it. Thanks!
Haha...like a Seinfeld episode!
Yep. My hubby acts like he is an 80-year-old man sometimes and the rest of the time he is a 10-year-old boy, god help me when we have kids. There are so many days that I think to myself, if I didn't know what was in that I could just eat it like the rest of the world. every job has it's downside ha ha that doesn't bother me near as much as staring at beautiful pics of food all day like these granola bars!
I thought I was the only one who felt that way about food (and men).
I'm at that age where many many of my friends are we entering the dating world. For the second time 🙂 I swear it never changes. What is up with these men??
Yeah, I am too and now I'm the victim of that. lol