Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars, an easy homemade plant-based granola bar recipe made with peanuts, peanut butter, rolled oats, dates, vanilla, and chocolate. Great to prep ahead!

Love granola bars? Make your own at home! These tasty DIY granola bars use only plant-based ingredients and are a great make-ahead option to freeze for a snack or quick breakfast on-the-go.

👉 Ready to learn how to make homemade granola bars with peanut butter and chocolate? Let’s do it!

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🍫 Ingredients

• Peanuts: roasted and unsalted peanuts are best, but raw peanuts works as well
• Dates: medjool dates provide a sticky and sweet texture that helps hold the bars together
• Peanut butter: creamy or chunky peanut butter work well to add a sticky and wet texture to the bars
• Vanilla: a touch of vanilla extract adds a deep flavor and a bit of liquid to the dry ingredients
• Oats: rolled oats are best for bars as they will soak up the liquid ingredients and create a firm bar texture
• Salt: a touch of salt balances out the sweetness of the dates and chocolate
• Chocolate chips: a few chocolate chips are added to the bars, as well as melted and drizzled on top
• Recommended tools: food processor, 9×9 inch pan, parchment paper, knife

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🥣 How to make (step-by-step photos)

1️⃣ Step One: Blend peanuts

The first step to make peanut granola bars is to chop the peanuts! To do this, simply add peanuts to a food processor or blender and pulse to chop.

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2️⃣ Step Two: Blend bar ingredients

Next, add dates to the food processor with the chopped peanuts and pulse to completely mix. Then add peanut butter and and vanilla extract, and pulse again until completely mixed.

Finally, add rolled oats, salt, and half of chocolate chips (1/2 cup as written is written) and mix until combined.

👉 Consistency tip: The mixture should very slightly wet and very thick, not crumbly. If the mixture is crumbly then the bars will not set, so add a small amount of liquid like more peanut butter or even a tablespoon of water and blend ingredients again until the mixture is sticky but firm.

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3️⃣ Step Three: Press ingredients into pan and chill

Once the mixture is blended and the right consistency, add parchment or wax paper on top of an 9×5 inch baking pan so that the edges of the paper extend beyond the sides of the pan (so it is easy to remove after).

Then place the bar ingredient mixture in the pan and use your fingers to press it to the bottom of the pan until even. Then place the pan inside the freezer for 30 minutes to allow the bars to chill and the ingredients to harden.

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4️⃣ Step Four: Cut bars and drizzle with chocolate

When the bars are done chilling, remove the pan from the refrigerator and lift the parchment or wax paper from the pan and lay flat on your countertop. Then the bars into 1-2 inch sections (should be about 6 bars, as recipe is written).

Then place the remaining chocolate chips in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds until smooth, or heat over a pan of hot water in a double boiler. Then drizzle the chocolate on top of the bars and let dry until the chocolate is solid.

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💡 Ideas for serving

• As a quick breakfast. These peanut butter granola bars as a great option for a grab-and-go breakfast on busy mornings.
• As a sweet snack. Pack a bar (or two!) in your bag for a boost of energy in the afternoon.
• As a healthy-ish dessert. The touch of chocolate means these nutritious bars can double as an after-meal dessert.

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🧊 How to store

1. Refrigerator storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to eat, as the bars will become very soft when left at room temperature.
2. Freezer storage: Homemade granola bars are great for freezing! Store in a freezer-friendly bag for 2 months, then pull the bars out to room temperature a few hours before eating (great for adding to your lunch bag in the morning and then eating as a snack later).

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👉 More tasty homemade bar recipes

Want more homemade snack bar recipes? Try these Cranberry Bliss Balls and Green Matcha Energy Balls.