These peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip bars are just right for dessert or even breakfast! Vegan and gluten free.
I can’t believe that this weekend is Memorial Day weekend! Somehow I was confused and thought that it was the following weekend. Do you have plans? Barbecue plans, or picnic plans? If you need something to bring to a picnic, might I suggest these peanut butter bars?
Peanut butter, chocolate chips, and oats. That’s the winning Kelly combination…the perfect dessert combo that I fall back on again and again. Can you blame me? These peanut butter chocolate chip bars are soft, super peanut buttery, a little bit healthier (maple syrup, not sugar!) and full of chocolate chips.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars.
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- ¾ cup gluten free oats
- ½ cup gluten free flour
- 1 Tablespoon golden ground flax seed
- 3 Tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup dairy free chocolate chips optional, plus another ½ cup for melting and drizzling
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch square pan with parchment paper so that there is an overhang on both sides.
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In a large bowl, mix together the ground flax seed and the water. Let sit for a few minutes until it forms a gel.
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Add the peanut butter and maple syrup and stir well. Add the gluten free oats, gluten free flour blend, baking soda, and sea salt. Stir until fully combined.
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Stir in the chocolate chips.
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Spread the mixture into the prepared pan.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 25-29 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Let the bars cool completely, then use the parchment paper to remove them from the pan. Slice into squares. Melt the ½ cup of chocolate chips and spoon into a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the sliced bars.
These peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip bars need to be completely cool before you cut them into squares. If you try to cut into them when warm, they will be crumbly. Ask me how I know. ;)
You can definitely use regular flour and oats in these if you are not gluten free. I used King Arthur Multi Purpose Gluten Free Flour (affiliate link) but I think that most gluten free blends would work well, since it is a fairly small amount of flour for the entire recipe.
What dessert combination do you come back to again and again?
darryl
Oh my gosh! So tasty!
Olivia - Primavera Kitchen
These bars looks very moist. I have to buy some golden ground flax seed to be able to make this recipe! Have to make this ASAP ;-)
Kelly
Thanks, Olivia! Regular ground flax seed will work, too, you might just see little flecks.
Mercedes Aspland
you have come to my rescue just in time, I am having some friends round on Saturday night for a Eurovision party – people in England will know just how sad this is – but I wanted something sweet for people to munch on and I think this will do the trick. Love it!
Kelly
I hope you love them! Have a great weekend!
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven
Definitely looking forward to relaxing with the fam this holiday weekend! I’m pretty sure these bars would make the weekend complete. They seriously look SO tempting, Kelly!
Kelly
Thanks, Sarah! Have a great weekend!
susan
Kelly, can I substitute the flax see for flax meal? If so, do I need to change the amount of water? They look great!
Kelly
Hi Susan, If you mean ground flax seed, then yes, that is the same as flax seed meal. You can’t use whole flax seeds, because they won’t become a gel. Hope that helps!
Jessica Levinson (@jlevinsonrd)
OMG these look amazing. I’m drooling!
Kelly
Thanks, Jessica!
Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes.com
Memorial Day totally snuck up on me too! These oat bars look deliciously yummy! Definitely want to give these a try :) Sharing!!
Kelly
Thanks for sharing! Have a great holiday weekend!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout
These look awesome! I’m heading to Manhattan next week as it’s my birthday! These PB and chocolate bars are a perfect way to celebrate!
Kelly
Happy Birthday! Have a great trip!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely
So excited for a 3 day weekend! Finally going to organize our dresser drawers. Quite the accomplishment : ) These bars look delicious Kelly!
Kelly
I need to organize my drawers and closet, too! Thanks for the reminder! :)
Natalie @ Feasting on Fruit
I’m loving these bars! They look like the sort of dessert that you could bring to any party and they would disappear at lightning speed! Most of my favorite things have vanilla, dates, and oats, but your winning combo is definitely high on my list too! It’s funny how the not-so-fancy combos are the ones that we keep coming back to :)
Kelly
Thanks, Natalie! I love the sound of vanilla, oats, and dates! Yum!
Julia
I’m heading outta town for MDW…Going to Murphys, which is where I lived for a year, to visit friends and dog sit. So excited to take a little trip! These bars look absolutely amazing! Definitely perfect for sharing with company over the long weekend. That PB & Chocolate…you sing to my soul!
Kelly
Have fun on your trip! How fun!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
Oh these bars look amazing, Kelly! You definitely can’t go wrong with pb, oatmeal and chocolate. What a great breakfast or snack!
Kelly
Thanks, Gayle!