These No Bake Peanut Butter Chia Bars are the perfect healthy snack. They are tasty, full of great ingredients and only take 15 minutes to make!
Guuuuuys guess what? I am officially a housewife! I had my last day of work on Friday and my first day at home yesterday. It was so weird! I was sitting on the couch, it was well past the time I should have left for work and I felt like I was being so naughty not going in! But after the initial strange feelings I had a leisurely breakfast and then spent the day baking, painting drawers, washing cot sheets, packing the baby bag for the hospital (eeeek) and just...being at home! I have to admit, it was kind of nice.
So now we play the waiting game! Which involves lots of snacking.
Even though I've so far managed to avoid massive cravings, sometimes I see something that I do need to have. These No Bake Peanut Butter Chia Bars were inspired by a post on Instagram from Taylor over at Greens & Chocolate. I saw her version of these and made them immediately!
Because I'm at home now I'm pretty keen to make sure I am still eating well...there are too many temptations in the pantry (and freezer) so making sure I have a selection of healthy grab & go snacks around is a big priority and these No Bake Peanut Butter Chia Bars definitely fit the bill. They are sweetened naturally by the honey and the cranberries (ohhhhk and the chocolate on top) and keep you going thanks to the combo of oats and chia seeds.
The only thing is, that they do need to be kept in the fridge. Even though the peanut butter, honey & coconut oil do a pretty good job of holding them together, if they get too warm they do tend to start to fall apart a bit. They still taste delicious, but it gets a little messy! If you weren't going to be near a fridge, I would freeze a couple of bars and take them with you. That way, they will stay together for longer. And trust me, they won't need to stay cold for too long before they are demolished!
I can tell these are going to be my go to snack for those midnight feeds and I have it on good authority (thanks Taylor!) that if you add brewer's yeast to the recipe, they become a super powered snack for breastfeeding mamas!
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No Bake Peanut Butter Chia Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup dessicated coconut
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 tablespoon dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- 2 tablespoon sunflower seeds
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate drizzle
- 4 pieces (25g) dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl mix together oats, chia seeds, coconut, cranberries, pumpkin seeds & sunflower seeds.
- In a small pot on the stove or in a jug in the microwave, melt together the coconut oil and honey. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and whisk together. Pour into the oat mixture and combine.
- Press into a 20cm x 20cm brownie tin lined with baking paper. Press it in really firmly to help it hold together.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
- Melt together the chocolate and coconut oil and drizzle over the bars, place back in the fridge for 15 minutes until it goes hard and then remove the bars from the tin and slice into 12 bars.
- Keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple of weeks.
Video
Sarah says
Hi, these look delicious! What would you suggest as a substitute for the peanut butter? My kids school has recently become nut free and I'm feeling a bit stuck for ideas that don't use peanut butter.
Laura says
I would probably try to look for a date based recipe instead, I couldn't tell you this would work without peanut butter without first testing myself sorry!
Kirsty says
Hi Laura,
I love all of your yummy recipes. I have been making this awesome recipe for quite a while but I find it super crumbley. I keep it in the fridge. Any suggestions of what I am doing wrong or what I can do to make it bind a little better? Thanks heaps 🙂
Laura says
Hi Kirsty, I would try increasing the liquid volumes just slightly - maybe try and extra tablespoon of peanut butter or honey, or if you are not opposed to adding sugar, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar melted in with the other wet ingredients will help them hold together better too!
Carole says
Sorry if this is a silly question, but is the nutritional information per bar?
Maria says
Hello, would butter work instead of coconut oil? Thanks
Kate says
Hi there
Would it be possible to substitute the honey with maple syrup?
Thanks!
Laura says
Yes, absolutely!