Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

No bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars are our newest obsession. A sweet treat for breakfast or dessert, they’re packed with protein and super addicting!

No Bake Oatmeal Bars

There are no nut allergies in this house so we eat a lot of creamy peanut butter. If you do need nut free but want to try these too you could substitute it for sunflower butter. The consistency may be a little bit different and may need to be frozen longer but other than that you should be good to go.

Want to cut the calories a bit, leave out the chocolate. A good alternative for that could be dried cranberries. That will add a different trail mix sort of flavor to it, and texture.

If you want to start baking with kids this and our lunch lady bars are great start to that tradition. They can say “I made it myself” and be more inclined to continue on to other dishes.

Raw Oats Recipe

We made no bake peanut butter cereal bites a few years back. Those used more Cheerios than oatmeal but were still a big hit. The same basic idea was used here though. NO need to bake, these protein balls just stick together with about 15 minutes in the freezer. It is best to keep them there and take out one at a time to enjoy.

That way they don’t have the opportunity to soften and stay the texture you want. Since this grain is not being boiled or cooked in any way it has a lot of grit and chew to it. A bit more calories than if you were to make a batch of boiled Instant Pot oatmeal, it packs a lot more nutrition this way too.

Raw Oats Nutrition

Never used rolled oats in anything beyond oatmeal cookies or porridge? You totally can do it and the nutrition is different when left alone. As you can imagine, raw oats maintain all the fiber (8 grams per cup) you want to lower your cholesterol and keep you regular. That’s important too. 😉 It packs 11 grams of protein in each serving too!

No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars

The only downside to consuming it this way vs. cooked is the calorie content. It is about double if not boiled with water. You have to weigh which is more important to you for your diet really. The other popular way you can keep it whole in a sense is when you make simple overnight oats. That isn’t cooked either but is mixed with milk.

Another healthy way to enjoy this grain as is and take advantage of all it’s nutrients.

My middle daughter actually made this batch, and the ones before it. Each one was tweaked slightly to get it to the perfect consistency, tested with different add ins, and timed to know exactly how long (or short) it needed in the freezer before it could be sliced.

1. Old fashioned oats
2. Honey for sweetness
3. Creamy peanut butter seems to work best
4. A pinch of salt will make all the flavors more intense
5. Cinnamon is optional
6. Semi sweet chocolate chips or dried cranberries can be added into the mix

Best way to melt chocolate chips

For the top drizzle on your energy bars, you’ll want CHOCOLATE, follow our how to melt chocolate chips in the microwave for that. If you’ve ever tried to do this and it becomes a hard clumpy mess, this hack will fix that!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

If you have only used this fiber full ingredient to make cinnamon oatmeal, you’re in for a treat for sure.

• Get out a large bowl and mix together all ingredients EXCEPT your chocolate chips and coconut oil. Blend just until oats are well coated.
  • I typically add 1 cup peanut butter and test
  • if it isn’t coated well enough I add the remaining 1/4 cup
  • Now is when you would stir in 1/2 c. of your chips, raisins, or dry cranberries into the mix
• Line a square 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Dump out and press this mixture inside so it is the same thickness all the way across.
• Put peanut butter mixture into the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
• Pour remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and your coconut oil on top.
  • Microwave for 1 minutes, stir and add 30 seconds if necessary until it is smooth without any chunks.
• Take cooled bars out of freezer and drizzle chocolate on to the top. Freeze again for another 15 minutes.
• Lift out parchment paper with mix on top and use a knife, cutting into bars that are easy to pick up. Makes about 12 equal oat bar pieces.

Enjoy right now as a snack. If you don’t eat every piece then slide into a freezer bag and lay into the freezer again. When you want another piece take one out but leave remainder zipped in the freezer to keep their shape.

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

The cold air is what is setting these up so you can pick them up in a bar or square shape. If you leave them out it will warm and at room temperature it will look like it did when you mixed it in your bowl. That is why you need to keep them in the cold always.

If you are looking for a few healthy snacks for your kids, ours have enjoyed these a lot. Beyond chocolate chips and peanut bars we have made this haystacks recipe during the holidays. Our no bake pumpkin cheesecake treats with crushed cereal and a sprinkle of brown sugar on top are killer too.

And in the morning, make a batch of oatmeal raisin muffins or Costco chocolate muffins for everyone.

Chocolate chips and peanut butter are also used to make scotcheroos. That requires a bit of boiling the setting ingredients but doesn’t need the heat of an oven either. The easiest favorite treat of ours is probably cake mix brownies, give those a whirl too.