Sometimes you’re just in the mood for something sweet, even for breakfast. And if you love the ease of a bar, then this recipe will satisfy not just your sweet tooth, but your need to grab-and-go.
Oatmeal Bars are Delicious
I love a good oatmeal bar. I’ve made them before on this blog in no-bake form. (Check out my No-Bake Chocolate Oat Bars!)
Today, however? I wanted something with peanut butter. I happened to have some on hand that needed to be used up, and I always keep plenty of oats on hand. (If you read my Overnight Oats recipe, you know how much I love them.)
I also happened to have some Lily’s sugar-free chocolate chips on hand, and wanted to use those up, as well. So, I decided to look for a recipe that incorporated all of those things.
I found what I wanted at spendwithpennies.com, but knew I would have to make some changes. I’ve been doing a healthy eating challenge and it requires me to use coconut palm sugar in place of granulated.
It’s also nudging me closer and closer to a gluten-free lifestyle, not due to celiac disease, but simply to lower my inflammation rates. (I have autoimmune arthritis and white flours aren’t my friend.)
Tweaking recipes is fun!
I had to take that recipe I found online and tweak it to work with my healthy eating plan. You’ll see what I came up with below, but I do want to go ahead and tell you that these turned out so delicious that I plan to make them again and again!
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bar Ingredients
These are truly simple ingredients you might already have in your kitchen, but it’s such a flexible recipe that you can change things up, based on my suggestions below). By the way, you’ll find a full printable recipe card with the amounts listed at the bottom of this post. This is just a quick peek at what you’ll need.
- rolled old fashioned oats (not quick oats)
- creamy peanut butter (natural or regular)
- coconut palm sugar (or sweetener of your choice)
- almond flour
- gluten-free all-purpose flour (or flour of your choice)
- baking powder (gluten-free, if that matters to you)
- salt
- almond milk (or milk of your choice)
- pure vanilla extract (or maple extract, your choice)
- sugar-free chocolate chips (or regular semi-sweet chips)
Note: Make sure you're using certified gluten-free oats if you're gluten-free!
How to Make these Delicious Oatmeal Bars
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a baking dish. I used an 8x10-inch dish. You could probably use a 9x9 or something similar. This won’t be enough for a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Combine the oats, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment).
Mix well.
Add the flours, salt, and baking powder, as well as the almond milk. Mix well.
Now fold in your chocolate chips.
Press into the lined baking dish.
Place in preheated oven and bake oatmeal bars for about 18-20 minutes. (Mine was done at 19 minutes.)
Remove and place on wire rack to cool. Once cool, use the parchment paper to lift the bars from the pan and place on your workspace.
Once cooled, slice into squares.
Serve and enjoy your healthy treats!
Leftovers should be wrapped in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container. They should stay good at room temperature for 3 - 4 days. I like to meal prep so I put mine into individual baggies, then placed those baggies into a gallon-sized baggie to go into the freezer. They can stay frozen up to two months.
What to Expect from these Bars
This is such a lovely bar, y’all! It’s not dense and coarse, like the no-bake version. It’s almost cookie or brownie-like. The peanut butter gives it a great flavor and texture and the addition of the chocolate chips adds sweetness.
I was delighted by the ease of this recipe and tickled to have something else to put in the freezer for another day. It's great to have grab-able snacks and healthy breakfast bars.
Variations on this Delicious Treat
Crunchy peanut butter: You can easily substitute creamy peanut butter with crunchy for added texture.
Not into peanut butter? No problem! Use almond butter instead. In fact, you could also add some chopped or slivered almonds to the recipe if you go that route. Another option would be sunflower seed butter or even cashew butter.
Milk chocolate: If you’re not a fan of semi-sweet, then milk chocolate would be perfectly fine in this recipe.
Brown sugar in place of coconut palm sugar: This is what the original recipe online called for. I’m trying to stick to palm sugar, but you use whatever you like.
Maple-all-the-way: Add maple extract in place of vanilla and a quarter cup of maple syrup in place of some of the milk. Yum!
More oats: Looking for a denser bar? Add an additional half cup of old-fashioned oats to the recipe. You’ll end up with a finished product that’s denser, but it should work out fine. (By the way, quick cooking oats will work but you won't have the same lovely texture.)
Natural peanut butter: If you don't like the addition of sugar in your peanut butter, feel free to use natural.
Peanut butter cookies: Use this same recipe to make peanut butter cookies with oats. Delicious (and easy)!
Other Oat-Filled Goodies from Out of the Box Baking
If you love oats, we’ve got you covered. Here are a few fan favorites (including some of my personal favorites):
- Old-fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
- Trail Mix with Honey Oats
- Oatmeal Rice Krispie Cookies
- Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cups
- No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins
That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe.
If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you're at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!
See this recipe at
Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars with Chocolate Chips
Sometimes you’re just in the mood for something sweet, even for breakfast. And if you love the ease of a bar, then this recipe will satisfy not just your sweet tooth, but your need to grab-and-go.
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
- ¾ cup peanut butter (natural or regular)
- ½ cup coconut palm sugar (or sweetener of your choice)
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (or flour of your choice)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder (gluten-free, if that matters to you)
- Dash salt
- ½ cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or maple extract, your choice)
- ⅔ cup sugar-free chocolate chips (or regular semi-sweet chips)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking dish. I used an 8x10-inch dish. You could probably use a 9x9 or something similar. This won’t be enough for a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Combine the oats, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment). Mix well.
- Add the flours, salt, and baking powder, as well as the almond milk. Mix well.
- Now fold in your chocolate chips.
- Press into the lined baking dish.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes. (Mine was done at 19 minutes.)
- Remove and place on wire rack to cool.
- Once cooled, slice into squares.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Leftovers should be wrapped in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container. They should stay good at room temperature for 3 - 4 days. I like to meal prep so I put mine into individual baggies, then placed those baggies into a gallon-sized baggie to go into the freezer. They can stay frozen up to two months.