Crispy Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
These energy bars are definitely a higher-sugar treat, but for athletes who have some extra room in their diet for some fun discretionary calories, these Crispy Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars are a delicious treat! Opposed to a chocolate bar, these homemade bars provide a nutritional boost from the oats, dried fruit, unsalted nuts, and ground flaxseed, offering a healthy dose of fibre, iron, and omega-3 fats. Try pre-proportioning them out into snack-sized zip-lock baggies and freezing them for a special treat in your next brown bag lunch or as a carb/protein recovery snack following your next tough workout at the gym. These homemade bars are also vegan-friendly.
Ingredients:
| Rice Krispies | 3 cups | – |
| Rolled oats | 1 cup | – |
| Dried fruit, such as raisins, chopped apricots, cherries and cranberries | 1 cup | – |
| Chopped peanuts, unsalted | ¼ cup | – |
| Ground flaxseed (optional) | 2 tbsp | – |
| Cooking spray | – | |
| Packed brown sugar | ¼ cup | – |
| Light peanut butter | ½ cup | – |
| Honey | ¾ cup | – |
| Cocoa | ½ cup | – |
Directions:
- Combine cereal, oats, dried fruit, peanuts and flaxseed in a large bowl that has been sprayed with nonstick spray; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, peanut butter and honey over medium heat. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa.
- Pour chocolate mixture over cereal mixture and stir until evenly coated. Press into a 9-by 13-inch pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Cool in the fridge or at room temperature until set before cutting into bars. Makes 18 bars.
Serving Size: 1 serving = 1 bar (48g). Each batch produces 18 energy bars.
