Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (vegan, gluten-free, no bake)

Gluten-free, vegan, no-bake, and made with just 5 ingredients, these chewy bars taste like peanut butter/chocolate chip/oatmeal cookie dough. I mean, what's better than that?
I made these bars for a recent track meet and they were devoured in minutes. It's not really surprising, they're chewy, nutty and perfectly sweet. Oh, and healthy too!

About the size of the bars: This recipe can actually make as many bars as you want. I cut the 8-inch square into 6 bars and, after I took the picture, I cut each bar into thirds, so I had 18 smaller pieces to take to the track meet. I called them peanut butter chocolate chip granola bites!

For a non-vegan version: Use honey instead of maple syrup!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (vegan, gluten-free, no bake)

2 cups oats, regular or quick-cooking
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (I use mini chips so they spread out more in the batter; you can use regular-size chips too)

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, allowing two ends of the lining to come up and over the sides of the pan (this makes it easier to remove the bars from the pan).
In a food processor, combine the oats, peanut butter, maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of the water, and vanilla. Process until the mixture comes together - you can check if the mixture is "together" by grabbing some with your hand; squeeze the mixture and if it hold its shape, it's perfect. If it's dry and crumbly, add another tablespoon of water and process until blended. Add water, a little a time, if necessary. Add the chips and process just until incorporated.
Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
Cut into bars and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Makes 6-18 granola bars (see note above)

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