No Bake Honey Peanut Butter Oat Bars

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No bake honey peanut butter oat bars make an easy, fun snack perfect for the whole family to grab-and-go!

My tiny humans eat like birds. And by that, I mean they eat approximately half their body weight in snacks, daily. It’s not that they don’t eat well at meals, the constant motion just means that snacks are required for sanity. Mine, not theirs. So while fruit, applesauce, hard boiled eggs, etc, are staples, sometimes I like to switch things up and make fun snacks like these no bake honey peanut butter oat bars. 

Also, these peanut butter bars are a great excuse to buy the bag of super cute mini chocolate chips. Mini chips are so cute! You may use regular chocolate chips, of course. My only note is that if you like to keep these bars in the refrigerator (as I do), the larger chocolate chips are a bit harder to bite.

As far as preparation goes, recipes don’t get much easier than the no bake peanut butter oat bars. You measure everything into a bowl, stir. Press into a square pan, and wait. You can spend less time waiting if you refrigerate the bars. Actually, refrigerate the bars anyway. Cold bars are the key to getting sharp cuts. After that, it’s up to you whether you’d like softer bars stored on the counter, or firm bars in the refrigerator.

If you live in a hot climate or keep your kitchen warm, I’d recommend keeping the bars chilled. When I make my honey peanut butter oatmeal bars in the winter, I may keep them out on the counter. Otherwise, I store mine in the refrigerator just because they’re less messy in the vice grip of a toddler when cold.

If you are making these for school and can’t send peanut treats, swap the peanut butter for almond butter or even sun butter if all nuts are a no-no. I’ve also swapped the cinnamon for pumpkin spice in the autumn if I’m feeling festive. But the cinnamon is definitely classic. It helps to cut the sweetness and make the treat more exciting for the grown ups. Use gluten free oats for a gluten free version.

Speaking of peanut butter… the kind of peanut butter used does make a difference in the final product! The “natural” style peanut butters that separate in the jar don’t result in as good a product as the more “conventional” peanut butters that don’t separate. Use what makes you happy, just understand that there will be a difference in the final product. I keep a jar of the shelf-stable peanut butter for projects like this. If you are using the refrigerated peanut butter, you must refrigerate the bars.

I don’t consider these an equal substitute for granola bars because I personally wouldn’t leave them wrapped, indefinitely, in the oft-abused snack section of our diaper bag. I do think no bake peanut butter bars are a great fiber-rich addition to a school lunchbox, work lunchbox, a great after-school snack option, or just easy sustenance on a busy day! You may individually wrap the bars if you’d like. I just store them in an airtight container separating the layers with a sheet of wax or parchment paper. Simple.

I hope you enjoy the recipe for these no bake honey peanut butter oat bars!