These aren’t really granola bars, not yet.
And I say not yet because I still haven’t found a gosh darn good granola bar recipe.
These are going to remain Peanut Butter N’ Honey Bars, without any tweaking into granola bars, because they really worked out well just the way they are.
But not really what I would consider a granola bar.
They are packed with nuts, raisins, seeds, honey, and oats. They are a powerhouse of nutrition for kids like mine. Non-meat-eating kids like mine need protein from other sources.
And it only takes one pot to make it in, so for lazy dishwashers like me, a big bonus.
Ingredients Needed:
1 cup of natural, no-sugar peanut butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of honey
1/3 cup of butter
3 tsp of vanilla
3 cups of oats
1/2 cup of shredded coconut (your call if you want it sweetened)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds or both
1/2 cup of raisins
1/2 cup of peanuts, chopped
Kick the tires and light the fires to 325 degrees.
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large pot. I know it seems like a lot of vanilla, but if you don’t use a larger amount than usual the honey flavor can be overwhelming.
On low heat on your stove, melt the ingredients together.
Once the ingredients are melted, throw the rest in.
Make sure that the dry ingredients are covered completely with the peanut butter mixture.
Take a piece of parchment paper and lay it over a 9×13 pan, making sure it overlaps the edges a lot.
Plunk the contents of the pot right down in the middle of the pan.
Press the mixture evenly throughout the pan until it looks like this. It doesn’t actually stick to your hands much, so you don’t need to grease them. Press it as tightly as you can.
Bake it in the oven for about 30 minutes, you are more drying it out slowly than baking it that much.
Let it cool completely then slice. Letting these dry out is A-ok and preferable, actually.
Then let your little astronaut or princess enjoy!
Peanut Butter N’ Honey Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter natural no sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup butter
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups oats
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut (your call if you want it sweetened)
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds or both
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup peanuts chopped
Instructions
- Kick the tires and light the fires to 325 degrees.
- Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large pot. I know it seems like a lot of vanilla, but if you don’t use a larger amount than usual the honey flavor can be overwhelming.
- On low heat on your stove, melt the ingredients together.
- Once the ingredients are melted, throw the rest in. Make sure that the dry ingredients are covered completely with the peanut butter mixture.
- Take a piece of parchment paper and lay it over a 9 inch x 13 inch pan, making sure it overlaps the edges a lot.
- Plunk the contents of the pot right down in the middle of the pan. Press the mixture evenly throughout the pan until it looks like this. It doesn’t actually stick to your hands much, so you don’t need to grease them. Press it as tightly as you can.
- Bake it in the oven for about 30 minutes, you are more drying it out slowly than baking it that much.
- Let it cool completely then slice. Letting these dry out is A-ok and preferable, actually. Then let your little astronaut or princess enjoy!
Barbara says
Nice idea, too much sugar
Ashley says
These are so good! I was looking for a recipe to make “Hippie Bars” which are these amazingly delicious bars sold at different coffee shops and vegan shops here in Central TX. This recipe had the most similar ingredients so I tried it and it’s PERFECT! The exact same flavor and texture, maybe even better!