Healthy Peanut Butter Breakfast Bars will satisfy your morning sweet tooth with wholesome cereal, honey, peanut butter, and oatmeal.
Let me tell you a little bit about one of life’s cruelest jokes.
Somewhere along the way, we all decided that dessert in the morning was cool, we’d all act like it was no big deal, and we would call it breakfast. Sure some of us eat eggs for breakfast, but what about those of us who prefer muffins (cake), pancakes (cake), or waffles (caaaaake).
I definitely lean sweet when it comes to breakfast, but my body just can’t handle all the sugar and flour without a major crash before lunch. So even though it’s perfectly acceptable to eat coffee CAKE for breakfast, I just can’t do it. Luckily I discovered my vegan granola bars, which are sweet yet full of protein, that I can enjoy every morning for a well rounded meal.
Alas, even favorites get old after a while. I wanted something similar, sweet, yet full of protein. And then a delicious breakfast bar baby was born.
What are healthy breakfast bars?
Healthy breakfast bars are a lot like my chewy peanut butter bites (my kids call it “sticky snack” and it’s the bessssst) but with so much more protein. We’re talking peanuts, almonds, cashews, AND piepitas!
I’ve been eating one of these every morning for breakfast. I love how one little bar can be both emotionally and physically satisfying until lunch.
Honestly these could be classified as a breakfast bar, snack bar, energy bar, granola bar or cereal bar. When it comes down to it, it’s just a healthy peanut butter snack that’s perfect for any time of day.
How do I make gluten-free breakfast bars?
It’s easy to make these homemade breakfast bars gluten-free. Simply use certified gluten-free oats (<– affiliate link) and make sure the cereal you’re using doesn’t contain wheat. I like Corn Chex because it’s so crunchy.
How do I make vegan breakfast bars?
You can substitute maple syrup for the honey to make these breakfast bars vegan. Other than that the process is the same:
- Mix honey, peanut butter, and vanilla
- Add oatmeal, cereal, and nuts
- Bake
- Drizzle with chocolate
These healthy peanut butter breakfast bars can be customized! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Use whatever nut and seed combo you have on hand
- Substitute almond or cashew butter for the peanut butter
- Swap crispy rice cereal for the corn chex
- Use maple syrup in place of the honey
- Add a sprinkling of flax seed meal and/or chia seeds to the mixture before baking
If you make this recipe be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
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Healthy Peanut Butter Breakfast Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup old fashioned oatmeal
- 1 cup corn chex cereal
- 1/2 cup any combination of chopped pepitas, peanuts, almonds, and cashews
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together honey, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Using a wooden spoon or rubber scraper, carefully fold in the oatmeal, cereal, and nuts.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and smooth out into an even layer. Bake 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator or freezer until solid. Use the parchment to remove the bars from the pan, then use a large knife to cut into 12 bars.
- Place chocolate in a small bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring each time, until almost completely melted. Stir until the chocolate is smooth, then use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over the bars.
- Return to the refrigerator or freezer until the chocolate is set, then transfer to a freezer safe zip top bag before storing in the freezer until ready to eat. Allow to rest at room temperature at least 5 minutes before eating.
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