no-bake blueberry peanut butter granola bars
Welcome to the second installment of this super-fun miniseries of no-bake recipes! I’m enjoying not baking in the heat of the oven while also still enjoying delicious treats, aren’t you? I mean, let’s not forget the no-bake French silk Oreo pie we just devoured. That was fairly epic and very enjoyable.
But anyway, hi. How are you? Before we discuss these crazy-easy and crazy-good no-bake blueberry peanut butter granola bars, I feel like we should catch up.
These granola bars were literal lifesavers to us out on the trails. I would give each of the kids half a bar before we headed out, then saved a few more for later. When the hangry-ness set in (which it always did, and not just for the kiddos, ahem), we had these tasty bars on hand. And I loved it, because not only are they good for you and homemade, but they’re extremely satisfying and easy to make in bulk (which I plan to do from now on, because we chowed down on these bars in less than two days).
Everyone does snack time for their family differently, and I have no judgment in any which way you choose to do it. For us, we have two times of day that are set “snack times,” and I do my best to keep the snacks relatively healthy and nutritious. If the kids are “starving” at other times of the day, they are free to eat as many fruits and vegetables as they wish; but at snack time, they can have granola bars, or cheese crackers, or cereal, or apple sauce, etc.
A lot of the time, I’ll be honest, I have something from a box ready for them to eat. But when I have the time and foresight to make something homemade in advance, we all are in better spirits. I feel like I’m giving them something with more substance and value nutritionally, and they feel like they’re getting a treat. It’s a win-win all around.
What’s extra wonderful about these no-bake blueberry peanut butter granola bars, though, is that they’re so very easy to assemble. You just mix the dry ingredients together, heat up the peanut butter and honey briefly (which I did on the stovetop, but you can microwave it, as well!), mix it all together, press it into a pan and let it chill for a couple of hours to set. Done. Snack time is ready. And it’s mighty tasty.
Whether you’re out on the trail or in your backyard (or running errands in the car and the kids are losing it and you need a snack savior stat, ya feel me moms and dads?), these granola bars will be your new BFF. They are hearty enough for on-the-go breakfasts, too, in case we’re already thinking about the crazy school day morning rushes! Maybe we’re not. I’m not there yet with my kids, though I do love walking around the aisles and aisles of school supplies.
You will also love these Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies!
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No-Bake Blueberry Peanut Butter Granola Bars
- Prep Time: 2 hours 5 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 package (4 oz) dried blueberries (about 2/3 cup)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- Pinch salt
- 3/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup honey
Instructions
- Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray.
- In large mixing bowl, stir oats, blueberries, cinnamon and salt to combine.
- In small saucepan over low heat, heat peanut butter and honey, stirring often, 3-5 minutes until just warmed through. Pour over oats mixture; stir thoroughly to combine.
- Using spatula, spread and press mixture into prepared pan in even layer. Cover with foil; refrigerate 2 hours until cooled and set. Cut into bars. Store covered in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
would you be able to do this with another grain? just curious looks amazing and will have to try next week!!
I’ve never tried it with another grain, but it’s very possible! The peanut butter/honey combo helps it stick together really well, so another grain could maybe work. If you give it a try, let me know!
Cannot WAIT to make these! love a good bar!
Hooray for bars! 🙂
I don’t usually look twice at granola bar recipes. But I saw your beautiful pictures and decided to make them. My daughter & I just finished making them & they’re firming up in the freezer. We used cranberries. The batter tasted really good!
Yay, I love it! Cranberries sound like a fantastic idea. Hope you loved them!
I must say peanut butter and chocolate chips sounds like a healthier version of a peanut butter cup! I may have to try that! 🙂
Ummmm, if you do that, save me a few! 😉
So I finally made these and was super disappointed…..I really wanted to love these but it is either the peanut butter I used ( a mix of peanut and almond butter fresh ground from store) or what but I followed the directions to the T and they fell apart while cutting into bars (squares did a bit better) and some of the mixture didn’t even get covered by the mixture —so I’m not sure that it’s enough…hoping to get an answer to my problems and have a back up just Incase I don’t. They were super simple though. They were in the fridge for almost 5 hours and I used an extra ounce of dried fruit —not sure that that would have made a difference though
Hi Sarah,
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear this recipe didn’t work for you! I wonder if the fresh-ground nut butter, combined with the added dried fruit, had something to do with it. Sometimes the consistency of nut butter can affect a recipe, and while I would think in theory the fresh-ground version should work, it might not be best (I used the organic peanut butter from Costco for mine, which has a finer, thinner texture). And the extra dried fruit might have also made it difficult for the mixture to come together since there were then more dry ingredients to combine. In any case, I am sorry you went through the trouble and these didn’t work out! I hope these tips can help in the future. xo
We fixed them!! Hubs thinks they are addicting….one last question–could you add more peanut butter and use less honey?
Thnaks for sharing this tasty recpie..
I have made these several times now, they are really good with freeze dried raspberries or strawberries. I’m going to try a batch with mini chocolate chips next. A great snack for school lunches or day hikes!