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4 Ingredient Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars

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These 4 Ingredient Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars are my favorite snacks, hands down. I think it’s the chewy combined with the crunchy nuts. I think it’s the salty mixed with the honey sweetness. I think it’s the carbs. Oh, it’s all of that. That’s why this recipe is the one I’ve made the most in my life.

4 Ingredient Chewy Granola Bars

(the drizzle is for my son:)

Did any of you grow up with those packaged chewy granola bars? I don’t recall a day going without them once I got hooked. Then one day early in our marriage I was reading, Miserly Moms: Living on One Income in a Two-Income Economy, about how she made her own granola bars. Woh. No way. ‘Granola bars were only something you could buy’, I thought. But I thought wrong. I was quite intrigued but didn’t try to make any granola bars just yet. It wasn’t my time. I wasn’t ready for such a big jump, going from all processed and prepackaged food to homemade. Not just yet…

4 Ingredient Chewy Granola Bars

Well, for a many years I thought I was eating healthy when I was eating those prepackaged granola bars. Then I started learning a little about real, whole foods. Boy was my thinking wrong with all of those artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and ingredients developed in a science lab than you can’t even pronounce.

4 Ingredient Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars

 I finally took the dive and haven’t looked back since. For years I made a granola bar recipe from All Recipes.com (which I can’t find now) that had several ingredients. The recipe was great, but after several years I decided it was high time to start experimenting. I wanted a healthier version. I also wanted a recipe with as few ingredients as possible. I tweaked and tweaked. The original recipe had honey. Why did it need brown sugar, too. Baking soda? The bars were just fine without, thank you very much. And butter? Well with peanut butter, there was no need (although we do like butter, don’t get me wrong).  I finally came up with this recipe: the 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Granola Bars Recipe, and we’ve been making it for years. Chewy, moist, real wholesome goodness. Honey sweetened. What’s not to love?

4 Ingredient Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars

I think in the last 2 to 3 years we’ve only ran out of our peanut butter granola bars once.  I keep these stocked all of the time. And I usually make them in tandem with my 4 ingredient almond butter granola bars.

4 Ingredient Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars

We love these granola bars so much, we love sharing them as gifts too. Many people are hard to buy gifts for and most don’t need more stuff. Many years ago, I figured everyone needs to eat and just started giving people these granola bars for gifts.

**Pics updated 1/16.

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4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Author Sonja

Ingredients

  • 4 cups old fashioned oats gluten-free if needed
  • 1 cup honey use agave for vegan *see note below
  • 3/4 cup natural peanut butter *see note below
  • 1/2 cup peanuts
  • optional 3 T TriMix (1 T Wheat Germ, 1 T Wheat Bran, 1 T Oat Bran) omit for g-f
  • optional 1 T each of ground flax seed, hemp seeds, chia seeds
  • optional 1/4 cup peanut butter chips or chocolate chips
  • *now I make the recipe with 3/4 cup of honey and 1 cup of peanut butter

Instructions

  1. Grease the bottom and sides 9x13 pan well.
  2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  3. Combine all ingredients VERY well in a bowl. Use an electric mixer if possible like a Kitchen Aid Mixer.
  4. Mash the granola bars into the pan well. This is the most important step!! If you don't mash it, they won't hold together well. We use a potato masher to solidify this peanut butter goodness.
  5. Bake for 17 minutes or until the edges barely start browning.
  6. Cool for 10 minutes, and cut into bars.
  7. Store in a cool dry place for up to a month.

Have you tried Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Granola Bars?

CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIE GRANOLA BAR

And then here is a version of this No Bake Chocolate PB Granola Bar that was the best culinary mistake I’ve ever made.

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bar

Do you need other healthier snack ideas?

GO HERE FOR THE COMPLETE LIST OF RECIPES.
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Comments

    • Sonja says

      Hi Carissa, I also make almond butter granola bars that I like better than these peanut butter granola bars. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for visiting!

  3. LEXIE ROBINSON says

    MY MORNING HAVE BEEN SO BUSY LATELY AND SOMETIMES BREAKFAST DOESN’T HAPPEN. I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT GETTING SOME QUICK BREAKFAST IDEAS. I THOUGHT I’D HAVE TO BUY GRANOLA BARS. HAHA THANKS FOR SHARING!

    • Sonja says

      Hi Lexie. Perfect! These would make a great quick breakfast! Thanks for visiting, and I hope you enjoy!

    • Sonja says

      Thanks, Jessica. We always make sure we keep these granola bars stocked. So easy to make and much healthier than what you get in the stores.

  5. Milehimama says

    These look delicious! I’m going to try them out in our solar oven because I can’t wait until it’s cool enough to bake to make them!

  6. Kim says

    I can’t wait to make these for my peanut butter loving kids! I love that they are so natural. Thanks so much for linking up to the Weekend Potluck with us last week. Can’t wait to see what you bring this week! ~Kim

  10. Mackenzie says

    These look great! Thank you for sharing on Saturday Show and Tell. I hope you’ll join us again this week with some more great ideas! -Mackenzie http://www.cheeriosandlattes.com

  11. Carole says

    They sound pretty simple to make. I found this through Turning the Clock Back’s What’s Cooking Wednesday. I have linked in an attempt at meatballs. Have a lovely week.

  12. Amee says

    Love this recipe!!!! You are a feature on my Fit Inspirations post today at Amee’s Savory Dish! 🙂

    • Sonja says

      Oh good! I actually was on your sight yesterday looking at your banana ice cream! I am trying it with almond butter. I froze my bananas last night! Thanks for visiting, and I hope your little guy enjoys this recipe like mine does!

  15. Sophie says

    Thanks so much for linking these up to Sweet Saturdays last week! They were featured this week, so be sure to stop by! Hope to see you again:)

    http://lacreativitedelafille.blogspot.com/2012/05/sweet-saturdays-3.html

    -Sophie

  17. Terry says

    These look yummy. Who doesn’t love peanut butter granola bars and with these healthy and pure ingredients, you can’t go wrong. Thanks for sharing at our party this week. Also, I am a big proponent of getting rid of word verification because it’s so cumbersome, but this verification of yours is smart. A simple checkmark. Brilliant. Where did you find that gadget?

    • Sonja says

      Bake for 18 minutes or until the edges barely start browning. I am sorry I forgot to include that. I did just add that. Thanks for the heads up!!

    • Sonja says

      Last night I was just telling Jolie that I would try it with almond butter, too! Let me know how they turn out!

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