Easy Peanut Butter Granola Bar Recipe

Instructions

1. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together the peanut butter, salt (if needed), maple syrup, and vanilla extract until smooth.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, rice crisp cereal, flax meal, and hemp hearts.
4. Pour the warm peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until fully combined. The mixture should hold together when pressed into a ball. If it's too dry, add a little more syrup.
5. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the prepared baking dish. A ramekin coated with cooking spray works well for pressing.
6. Optional: melt chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl at 30-second intervals, stirring between, until smooth. Drizzle over the bars using a fork.
7. Refrigerate or freeze until fully set, about 1 hour.
8. Cut into bars and serve cold.

Notes

• The 60-minute "cook time" is inactive refrigerator/freezer chilling time — active prep is just 5 minutes.
• Bars are best eaten cold; they get crumbly at room temperature.
• Store covered in the refrigerator.

Substitutions

• Sunflower seed butter can replace peanut butter for a nut-free version.
• Agave works in place of maple syrup.
• Hemp hearts or flax seeds can substitute for each other.