Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Name: Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 16 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 cups (270 g) old-fashioned rolled oats; ½ cup (70 g) roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped; ½ teaspoon (1½ g) ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon (1½ g) fine sea salt; 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces; ⅓ cup (113 g) honey; ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, packed; ½ cup (130 g) creamy peanut butter, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract; ½ cup (85 g) mini semisweet chocolate chips; nonstick cooking spray, for greasing the pan

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Toasted oats and peanuts are bound with a warm peanut butter and honey syrup, pressed into a pan, and baked until golden. The bars come out chewy and sliceable, with pockets of chocolate in every bite.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 30 min
Wait: 1 hr 35 min
Total: 2 hr 25 min
Makes: 16 bars (one 8×8-inch pan)

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Steps

Before you start

Position an oven rack in the center and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Use old-fashioned rolled oats, not instant or steel-cut. Instant oats turn mushy and steel-cut stay hard.
Use a standard creamy peanut butter such as Skippy or Jif, not natural-style oil-separated peanut butter, which makes crumbly bars.
Plan for about 1½ hours of cooling before cutting. Cutting warm bars makes them fall apart.

1
Prepare the pan
- Lightly spray an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) baking pan with cooking spray.
- Line it with a strip of parchment paper cut 8 inches (20 cm) wide so it overhangs two opposite sides by about 2 inches (5 cm) to form a sling.
- Spray the parchment lightly too.
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Ready when: The bottom and two sides of the pan are covered with parchment, with overhang on the sides.
Tip: The sling lets you lift the whole slab out for clean cutting.
2
Toast oats and peanutsOven 350°F / 175°C
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Spread the oats and chopped peanuts in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes, stirring once at the 5-minute mark, until the oats are light golden and smell nutty.
- Tip them into a large mixing bowl and stir in the cinnamon and salt.
- Leave the oven on.
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Ready when: Oats look light golden at the edges and smell nutty and toasty.
Tip: Toasting adds flavor and helps the bars stay crisp-chewy rather than pasty.
3
Warm the binder
- While the oats toast, combine the butter, honey, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until the butter melts, the sugar dissolves, and small bubbles appear around the edges.
- Do not boil hard.
- Remove from the heat.
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Ready when: The mixture is smooth with no sugar grains when you rub a drop between your fingers, and it bubbles gently at the edges.
Tip: Boiling the honey mixture hard makes the bars hard and candy-like once cooled.
4
Stir in peanut butter
- Off the heat, add the peanut butter and vanilla to the saucepan.
- Stir for about 1 minute until the mixture is completely smooth and glossy.
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Ready when: No streaks of peanut butter remain and the sauce looks glossy.
5
Coat the oats
- Pour the warm peanut butter mixture over the toasted oats.
- Fold with a silicone spatula for about 1 minute until every oat is evenly coated and no dry oats remain at the bottom of the bowl.
- Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
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Ready when: The mixture looks uniformly glossy and clumps together when squeezed.
Tip: Adding chips to a very hot mixture melts them into streaks instead of leaving distinct pieces.
6
Add chocolate and press
- Fold the mini chocolate chips into the slightly cooled mixture.
- Scrape it into the prepared pan.
- Press down very firmly, first with the spatula and then with the flat bottom of a dry measuring cup, working into the corners until the surface is flat and compact.
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Ready when: The surface is level and tightly packed with no loose areas.
Tip: Pressing hard is the key to bars that hold together. Cover the mixture with a piece of parchment before pressing if it sticks to the cup.
7
Bake the barsOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake in the 350°F (175°C) oven on the center rack for 16 to 18 minutes, until the edges are deep golden brown and the center looks set and lightly golden.
- The center will still feel slightly soft; it firms up as it cools.
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Ready when: Edges are deep golden brown and pulling slightly from the pan; the center is lightly golden and no longer shiny wet.
Tip: Overbaking makes the bars dry and hard. Pull them when the center is still a little soft.
8
Cool completely
- Set the pan on a wire rack and let the bars cool undisturbed for 1 hour at room temperature.
- For the cleanest slices, refrigerate the pan for another 30 minutes.
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Ready when: The slab feels firm and cool to the touch and does not bend when lifted.
Tip: Do not cut early. The binder sets only as it cools.
9
Lift and slice
- Use the parchment overhang to lift the slab onto a cutting board.
- With a sharp chef's knife, cut it into 4 equal strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 4 bars to make 16 bars.
- Wipe the knife between cuts if it gets sticky.
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Ready when: Bars have clean edges and hold together when picked up.
Tip: Use a gentle sawing motion and press straight down rather than dragging the knife, which crumbles the edges.

Good to know

Tips

Press the mixture into the pan much harder than seems necessary. This matters more than any other step for bars that hold together.
Mini chocolate chips distribute evenly and stay in the bars. Regular chips work too but may fall out when cut.
For a sweet-salty finish, sprinkle a pinch of flaky salt over the pressed mixture before baking.
If the bars still crumble when cut, they were likely under-pressed or cut warm. Chill the slab for 30 minutes and try again.

Make ahead

The bars can be baked, cooled, and cut up to 5 days ahead. You can also freeze the cut bars for up to 3 months.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: airtight container with parchment between layers for up to 5 days (up to 3 days in a hot kitchen). Fridge: up to 2 weeks, which gives a firmer bar. Freezer: wrap bars individually and freeze in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes, or microwave a frozen bar for 8 to 10 seconds for a softer, warm bar.

Substitutions

honey → pure maple syrup. Use the same amount. The bars will be a little softer and taste of maple; chill them well before cutting.
creamy peanut butter → almond butter or sunflower seed butter. Use a smooth, no-stir style in the same amount. Flavor changes but texture is similar.
roasted salted peanuts → chopped almonds or pumpkin seeds. Use the same weight. Use unsalted nuts and increase the salt to ½ teaspoon (3 g) if you like.
unsalted butter → coconut oil. Use the same amount of refined coconut oil. The bars will firm more in the fridge.