Peanut Butter Oat Walnut Chocolate Bars. {clean snacking}

These little bars are NOT a big mistake… well maybe they are if you DON’T eat them!  They are clean!  Hard to believe by the way they taste.  NO added refined sugars, corn syrups or anything junky. Now they do have chocolate in them (and dark chocolate is good for you) and I used a fair trade dark chocolate but you can use what you have (either a dark bar chopped up or chips).  Heart healthy!  My friends at Oh Nuts!   sent me a bag of some huge, gorgeous, fresh walnuts and I thought of this recipe instantly!  Their nuts and dried fruits are to die for!  You can sub out your favorite nut or whatever you have on hand.  Be prepared… your family will descend quickly on these sweet bars.  Love that you can make these ahead of time too… perfect for parties, or just to prepare to have for better snacking options for your family v. store-bought, overly processed treats.

Ingredients:

1 cup of your favorite nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew etc.)
1/2 cup of raw honey
1/2 cup of coconut oil (melted)
2 cups of gluten-free or regular rolled oats
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
1 cup of shredded unsweetened coconut, (I used toasted)
1/3 cup of chopped walnuts (whatever nuts your like or have on hand)
1 cup of dark chocolate (either bar chopped up or chips)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 tsp of salt
Optional: 1 tablespoon of chia seeds

Directions:

On the stove in a sauce pan, melt your nut butter, honey and oil over medium heat.  Whisk to combine.  In a bowl, add the oats, meal, coconut, walnuts, chocolate, extract, salt and chia (if using).  Once the mixture on the stove is well combined and heated, pour over your dry ingredients and mix.  I used my stand mixer.  Spray a 13×9 glass casserole pan with baking spray (it makes it easier to remove later) or line with parchment.  Pour your mixture into the pan and press down evenly until everything is uniform.  Then refrigerate for at least 2 hours (I let them in the fridge overnight) or until solid. Remove and slice into bars.  I keep these in the fridge or freezer individually wrapped.  Serve cold.

 

— Knead to Cook