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    Home > Breakfast & Brunch

    No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars

    Published: Jun 6, 2019 · Modified: Jun 11, 2019 by Nicky Corbishley

    Go to Recipe Print Recipe

    Only SIX ingredients! My No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars are so quick and easy to prepare. A great make-ahead breakfast or snack!
    3 stacked Peanut Butter Granola Bars with more granola bars in the background

    I know you came here for granola bars, but I just need to get this out.

    We surprised the kids with a trip to Disney World!!

    What a week we've had! It was totally unplanned.
    Chris and I were in the office, procrastinating over work and feeling a little bored a couple of weeks ago.
    For some reason we started talking holidays, and before we knew it, we'd used up all of our savings and booked Disney. Talk about mid-life crisis!
    We got the tickets on the Friday and flew out on Monday morning last week. We told the kids a few days beforehand that we were going on a boring business trip to Stuttgart (don't ask me why we chose Stuttgart, I have no idea!) and they needed to come with us. Then we broke the news to them at the airport.

    If you saw my Instagram stories, you'll have seen that Gracey was over the moon, and Lewis just basically stood there in shock 🙂
    In fact I'll show you a couple of clips.
    Here we are on the way to the airport:

    https://www.kitchensanctuary.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/20190527_071454.mp4

    And at the airport:

    https://www.kitchensanctuary.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Surprising-The-Kids.mp4

    So we spent the whole week flitting between parks, going on the biggest, scariest rides we could find and consuming large amounts of frozen lemonade (it was close to 100F every day).

    Now we're back home, tired, skint and trying our best to get back into work mode. Must not use up our overdraft and book another holiday....

    Now these granola bars were something I really wish I'd made to take with us. It's nearly impossible to find places for Breakfast in Disney (well breakfast that doesn't cost $30 a head whilst Pluto and Mickey bound around the tables).

    Made with 6 ingredients and loaded with cranberries and chocolate chips, they're so good!
    Ingredients for granola bars in a bowl

    We start by mixing together rolled oats, mixed chopped nuts, chocolate chops, dried cranberries, peanut butter (plenty of peanut butter - one of the few times I really love peanut butter) and honey.

    Granola bar mixture in a bowl

    Spoon the mixture into a lined square tin:
    Granola bar mixture in a baking tin

    Top it with baking parchment and then place another same-size tin on top. Then use every muscle you have to press that top tin down, compacting the mixture as much as possible.
    I won't lie, I place the tin on the floor and stand on top of it. Nothing like a slightly overweight lady to squash that mixture flat.

    Next remove the top tin:Granola bar mixture in a baking tin with baking parchment on top

    Then peel off the top layer of baking parchment and sprinkle on extra chocolate chips and cranberries - pushing them in a little as you go.

    Granola bar mixture in a baking tin on white background

    Place the tin in the freezer for an hour to firm up, then remove the tin and liner and cut into slices.

    Peanut Butter Granola Bars sliced on a chopping board

    You may find some of the edges are still a little bit crumbly, but they should hold together well, so long as you've used the correct amounts of peanut butter and honey, and you've compacted the mixture enough. Those few crumbly bits are the cook's treat (of course).

    How long to they keep for?

    Wrapped and refrigerated, these granola bars will keep for one week

    Can I freeze granola bars?

    Yes, wrap/cover the bars and freeze for up to a month. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before eating.

    Can I make granola bars gluten free?

    Yes, simply replace the oat with gluten free oats (oats are in theory gluten free, but they're often packed in environments where wheat, barley and rye is present. So you need to get certified gluten free oats).

    Other topping ideas for granola bars:

    • Other dried fruits such as blueberries, raisins, dates, cherries and pineapple
    • Replace the chocolate chips with white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips
    • Drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle on finely chopped nuts and/or freeze dried raspberry or strawberry pieces

    Other on-the-go breakfast ideas:

    • Banana Oat Cookies
    • Banana Bread Energy Balls
    • Rhubarb and Marzipan Breakfast Muffins
    • No Bake berry Bakewell Granola Bars
    • Honey filled Breakfast Popsicles with Greek Yogurt
    • Grapefruit Breakfast Donuts
    • Peanut Banana Oat cookies
    • Or how about this peanut butter and jelly frozen yogurt bark from my friend Ciara at My Fussy Eater

    Love peanut butter?

    Try some of these savoury peanut butter dinner recipes:

    • 20 minute peanut butter chicken
    • Thai Chicken Salad with Easy Peanut Dressing
    • Thai Style Peanut Pork with Broccoli
    • African Stew with Chicken and Peanut

    Peanut Butter Granola Bars with cranberries and chocolate chips on a chopping board

    The No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars Recipe:

    Overhead image of peanut butter, chocolate and cranberry granola bars chopped into slices

    No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars

    By: Nicky Corbishley
    Only SIX ingredients! My No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars are so quick and easy to prepare. A great make-ahead breakfast or snack!

    5 from 3 votes
    Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Freezing time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
    Course Breakfast, Snacks
    Cuisine American, British
    Servings 12 bars
    Calories 273 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 cups (220g) whole rolled oats
    • ½ cup (65g) chopped mixed nuts
    • ½ cup (65g) chocolate chips
    • ½ cup (90g) dried cranberries
    • 1 cup (270g) smooth peanut butter
    • ¼ cup (85g) honey

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Place the rolled oats and chopped nuts in large bowl. Add in the all but 1 tbsp of the dried cranberries and all but 1 tbsp of the chocolate chips and mix together.
    • Add the peanut butter and honey, and stir until combined.
    • Spoon the mixture into an 8×8 inch (20x20cm) square baking tin that has been lined with baking parchment.
    • Flatten the mixture with the back of a wooden spoon, then place a piece of baking parchment on top.
    • Place another same-sized tin on top and squash the tin down so the mixture is well compacted. The compacted it is, the less likely the granola bar will fall apart when cutting into slices.
    • Remove the top tin and baking parchment that’s on top of the mixture and sprinkle on the reserved cranberries and chocolate chips. Push them in with your fingers.
    • Cover the tin and place in the freezer for one hour. Remove from the freezer, take out of the tin and peel off the parchment paper. Place on a chopping board and cut into 12 slices.
    • Serve immediately, or wrap and place in the refrigerator (you can store them at room temperature, but keeping them in the fridge will help to keep them firm).

    ✎ Notes

    Nutritional information is approximate and is per serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 273kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 9gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 123mgPotassium: 232mgFiber: 4gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 15IUCalcium: 27mgIron: 1.4mg
    Keywords no bake, Quick and Easy
    Tried this recipe?Mention @KitchenSanctuary or tag #KitchenSanctuary on Instagram!

    Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

    Read More
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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Radhika Patel says

      June 16, 2020 at 10:29 am

      Hi, can the rolled oats be substituted for porridge oats? Thanks

      Reply
    2. Floranet says

      July 22, 2019 at 11:39 am

      Your work is so full of useful information.

      Reply
    3. Jennie says

      June 14, 2019 at 3:18 pm

      These look fantastic, Nicky! Granola bars are definitely my go-to snack and I love the no-bake aspect of these bars. Plus - isn't peanut butter just the best flavour? Can't wait to try this.

      Reply
    4. Mitchel Larsen says

      June 09, 2019 at 11:29 pm

      5 stars
      I just made these for my camping trip this week. I switched up the mix-ins and did peanuts, almonds, goji berries, freeze dried fuji apples, dried cranberries, and edamame. They smell like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I can't wait!

      Reply
    5. Gayle Albanese says

      June 08, 2019 at 12:14 pm

      5 stars
      Made these last night and they are amazing. Although I think the 22g of oats is incorrect on the recipe, I used 5.5 oz. I’ve had one for breakfast and it’s now 1.15pm and I’m still full. Really lovely and well worth a go. I’m loving kitchen sanctuary. Thank you.

      Reply
    6. Sara says

      June 06, 2019 at 9:06 pm

      5 stars
      This is one of the best recipes i have seen for peanut butter granola bars It tasted really good. 5/5 star rating from me.

      Reply
    7. Lavina says

      June 06, 2019 at 7:13 pm

      Awww! You guys are the bestest parents ever! 🤗 I truly hope you all had the most wonderful time at Disney! ❤️ xx

      Reply
      • Chris Corbishley says

        June 06, 2019 at 7:39 pm

        Thanks Lavina

        We all had an AMAZING time 🙂

        Chris

        Reply

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    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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