Peanut Butter Granola Bars

I’m so glad peanut butter isn’t what it used to be. The kind I used to eat is still available – you know the stuff – with added sugar, salt and oil and sometimes a bunch of other stuff that has no business being in food – but thankfully, so is the unadulterated kind that consists simply of ground peanuts in a jar.

The downside to using “peanuts only” natural peanut butter, is that it requires refrigeration. And lots of stirring. And no matter how furiously I mix it, I always seem to end up with a blob of rock hard peanut butter at the bottom of the jar.

And because no one has the energy in the morning to take a chisel to it, to pry some loose for a piece of toast, the jar sits in the fridge with just a little bit left.

Is anyone else bothered when a new jar of something is opened before the last dregs from the old jar have been used up? It drives me bonkers. Luckily, I usually think of a way to turn it those remaining spoonfuls into something delicious and at the same get rid of the thing in the fridge that is mocking my sense of kitchen order.

So, after extracting the peanut butter from the jar, I decided to make some peanut butter granola bars. It’s no coincidence that the recipe is very similar to the recipe for Perfect Granola.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Makes 10

3 cups of oats
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 cup of currents or raisins*
1/2 cup of walnuts, chopped*
1/3 cup of dried cranberries, chopped*
1/3 cup of sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds, ground
1/2 cup peanut butter (‘peanuts only’ type)
1/4 cup of grapeseed oil (or another neutral flavoured oil)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. *Chop fruit or nuts into small pieces. (i.e. I even chop up the cranberries and raisins into smaller pieces.) If the pieces are too large, the bars will fall apart. Flax seeds can be ground in a blender. Put oats, salt and chopped fruit, nuts and seeds into a large bowl and set aside.

In a sauce pan, add peanut butter, maple syrup, honey and vanilla.

Stir constantly on low just until it starts to boil.

Then immediately take it off the heat and pour over oat mixture. Mix well, making sure everything is well coated. Press into a greased 9x9 inch square baking dish, packing it down as firmly as possible with the back of a spoon.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the edges start to brown.

Let bars cool in the pan completely before cutting.

Keep in a covered container for up to a week.

Perfect Granola

As you like it...

This granola, lightly sweetened with a bit of honey, is perfect because you make it however you want it! Don’t like walnuts? No problem! Can’t get enough cranberries? Throw them in! Just make sure your fruit/nut/seeds mixture adds up to 2 cups and use ingredients without added sugar or salt. (unless you like it sweet and salty…) If you’re using whole nuts, you may want to chop them coarsely. Or, for a really easy granola, use your favourite trail mix. 

Perfect Granola
Makes 5 cups

3 cups of oats
2 cups of fruit/nuts/seeds (see below to check out what I used)
¼ cup grapeseed oil (or another neutral flavoured oil)
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon of vanilla
¼ cup flax seeds (optional)
pinch of sea salt

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. Measure oats into a large bowl. Heat oil, honey and vanilla in a small saucepan on low and stir until warm and blended. Add the fruit/nut/seeds mix and toss to coat.

Add to oats in the large bowl, add a pinch of sea salt and toss until well blended.  Put a single layer of granola on the cookie sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.

(Be careful not to burn. Adjust your temperature as needed. I used a countertop convection oven, which tends to get hotter than it says because the element is so close to the pan.) Store in an airtight container - Mason jars work well.

In this recipe, my fruit/nuts/seed mix consists of: Thompson raisins, currents, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, unsweetened coconut flakes and sunflower seeds.

I think it’s perfect, but here are some other ideas:
cranberries, chopped dried apples, apricots or cherries,  pumpkin seeds, almonds, sultana raisins, dates, figs, prunes, or add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc…

Enjoy with fruit and yogurt for a quick breakfast or a delicious snack.