Healthy Peanut Butter Chunk Oatmeal Bars
Try this Healthy Peanut Butter Chunk Oatmeal Bars recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Healthy Peanut Butter Chunk Oatmeal Bars recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed brown sugar
- 1 cup (250g) creamy peanut butter (or chunky)
- 1 cup (127g) whole wheat flour
- 1 cup (80g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk (i used almond milk but use whichever you prefer)
- 1/2 cup (90g) dairy-free chocolate chips (or regular choco
- 1/2 cup (70g) raisins (or whichever mix-ins you'd like)
- Carbohydrate 0.100800138888889 g
- Cholesterol 40.6708333333333 mg
- Fat 15.3437736111111 g
- Fiber 0.000368055555555556 g
- Protein 0.16136375 g
- Saturated Fat 9.71719694444444 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -16 bars, depending how large you cut them (20g)
- Sodium 109.023611111111 mg
- Sugar 0.100432083333333 g
- Trans Fat 1.07434227777778 g
- Calories 138 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Line a 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.
- Set aside.
- With an electric or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the brown sugar and peanut butter on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Mix in the vanilla, scraping down the sides as needed.
- On medium speed, add in the flour, oats, salt, and baking soda.
- The dough will be very thick and clumpy, but it will come together.
- Slowly add the milk in a steady stream, mixing until a dough forms.
- Fold in chocolate chips and raisins.
- Use your hands to make sure everything is combined, if needed.
- Once dough is completely combined, press it lightly into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for about 17-20 minutes until the bars are lightly golden and set.
- Allow to cool completely and cut into squares.
- I keep mine in the refrigerator in a covered container.
- Bars will be good stored up to 2 weeks.
Will substituting natural peanut butter for standard creamy peanut butter ruin the structural integrity of these bars? Natural styles containing separated oils introduce excess moisture and lack the stabilizers required to hold dense oat doughs together, often resulting in a crumbly texture unless extra flour is added to compensate. Creamy or chunky commercial varieties provide consistent emulsification, ensuring the fats distribute evenly through the whole wheat flour and rolled oats without weeping during the mixing stage.
Managing Dense Doughs and Visual Cues
Aerating the brown sugar and peanut butter with an electric mixer for a full three minutes incorporates crucial air pockets before the dry ingredients enter the bowl. The resulting dough remains remarkably thick, requiring a slow, steady stream of milk to hydrate the flour without overworking the gluten network. Because internal temperature testing does not apply here, rely entirely on visual assessment: bake the 8x8 dish at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the edges turn lightly golden and the center loses its wet sheen.
- Refrigerate baked squares in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
- Swap dairy milk for almond milk at a direct one-to-one ratio without altering the bake time.
- Press the heavy dough firmly into the parchment-lined pan to eliminate air pockets before baking.
