Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
These peanut butter oatmeal bars are a great breakfast or snack! They’re supremely moist and chewy, similar to classic oatmeal cookies, with a lightly sweetened and soft peanut flavor. These bars are quick and easy to whip up any day of the week — and loved by kids and adults alike! Leftovers will keep for at least four days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 large egg white (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (64g) homemade creamy peanut butter (room temperature)
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup (room temperature)
- 5 tbsp (75mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk (room temperature)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg white and vanilla. Stir in the peanut butter until completely incorporated. Stir in the maple syrup until thoroughly incorporated. Stir in the milk. Add in the oat mixture, and stir until just incorporated.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 300°F for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan. Allow them to rest for an additional 4+ hours once at room temperature for the best soft and chewy texture before slicing into squares.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure both the oats and flour correctly using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either will dry out the bars and leave them cakey, bready, or dry, instead of soft and chewy.
IMPORTANT PAN SIZE NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Pan dimensions are measured along their top rims, not their bottom sides. Some square baking dishes have sloped sides, so they’re 9” across the top and closer to 8” across the bottom. If that’s true for your baking dish, it’s actually a 9”-square pan and too big for this recipe. Because it has a larger surface area (81 in2), your bars would turn out really thin and be prone to overbaking.
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not over-bake these bars! They’re ready to come out of the oven when the edges feel firm but the center still look slightly glossy and underdone. The heat from the pan will continue to cook the center all the way through while you let the bars cool to room temperature and set.
OATS NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Instant oats are also known as “quick cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal.
To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned rolled oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times or until the oats are about ¼ to ⅛ of their original size.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free if needed) may also be substituted, but be very careful when measuring it because it tends to be more absorbent than wheat-based flours.
EGG WHITE ALTERNATIVE: If you prefer to use the whole egg, then use 1 large egg and reduce the milk by ½ tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolk.
PEANUT BUTTER NOTES: This is my homemade creamy peanut butter recipe. You just need 5 minutes to make it! If using store-bought creamy peanut butter, make sure it only contains peanuts and salt. (A little oil is fine.) It should be liquidy at room temperature. Do not substitute crunchy peanut butter.
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup. Alternatively, substitute ¼ cup (48g) coconut sugar or light brown sugar and 2 ½ tablespoons (38mL) milk (any type!) for the pure maple syrup.
I don't recommend substituting sugar free maple syrup. It’s often water-based, and that tends to make these oatmeal bars turn out cakey, bready, or dry.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
DAIRY-FREE VERSION: No modifications needed!
GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: Use certified gluten-free instant oats (like these). For the gluten-free flour, use the following: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Certified gluten-free oat flour (like this) and many store-bought gluten free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.
HOW TO STORE: Store leftover oatmeal bars in an airtight container. If refrigerated, they’ll for at least four days (if not longer!). These oatmeal bars also freeze really well!
{gluten-free, dairy-free, clean eating, low fat}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.