Peanut granola bars
Ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped
3/4 cup natural unsweetened peanut butter
3 tablespoons flaxseed meal
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, optional, see notes
Directions to Make Bars
1 Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, or use parchment paper.
2 Spread the oats and chopped peanuts onto a baking sheet, bake for 5 minutes, stir, and bake another 3 to 5 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Allow to cool.
3 While the oats and peanuts bake, make flax eggs by stirring three tablespoons of flaxseed meal with six tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. During this time, the flaxseed meal will absorb most, if not all, of the water.
4 In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, and flax eggs. If using salt, add it now.
5 When the oats and peanuts have cooled, stir them into the peanut butter mixture. The mixture will be sticky. Thoroughly mix everything so that all the oats are well coated. Add up to 1/4 cup more peanut butter if the mixture seems dry.
6 Stir in 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips. Save the remaining tablespoon for topping the bars.
7 Transfer the granola bar mixture to the prepared pan, and then use a rubber spatula or damp fingertips to press it into the pan firmly so the bars stay together once cooled and cut. One trick is to add a sheet of parchment paper on top and then use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to press the oat mixture down into the pan.
8 Scatter the remaining tablespoon of chocolate chips over the pressed granola mixture, using a rubber spatula to push them into the top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If you are in a rush, you can freeze them for about 30 minutes. The bars will be too soft if cut before they are thoroughly chilled.
9Remove the chilled block of granola mixture from the pan, then peel away the foil or parchment. Cut into 12 bars.
• Storing
1Store granola bars in an airtight container for up to one week. For the softest bars, keep them at room temperature (note that room-temperature bars may fall apart more easily than cold bars). For slightly harder bars, store them in the fridge (this is what I do). When wrapped well, bars will keep in the freezer for up to three months.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
• While we have had the best results with peanut butter, you can try substituting it for another nut butter, like almond or cashew butter. You should also be able to make them nut-free and use sunflower seed butter (you will also need to remove the peanuts for nut-free bars).
• Honey works well in these bars. Use the same amount of honey as maple syrup called for in the recipe above.
• If the nut butter is unsalted, add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the granola bar mixture.
• The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 bar (12 total) / Calories 262 / Total Fat 12.7g / Saturated Fat 3.2g / Cholesterol 0mg / Sodium 4.5mg / Carbohydrate 27.4g / Dietary Fiber 4.3g / Total Sugars 10.1g / Protein 8.4g