These bars are epic and I don’t know why I haven’t made them sooner. Let me explain the name of these bars. My mom is famous for her oatmeal peanut butter bars. The entire family has her recipe and when she makes them more people ask for the recipe and the pan is gone within the same the day. I haven’t had these bars in years and years, but I must say, these are even better than hers! My dad will be the true taste tester though, as these are his absolute favorite. All I did was sub some (many) of her ingredients for healthier alternatives and boom, you get the softest, chewiest most delicious taste in your mouth ever! These are still a dessert, though! Just because healthier ingredients are used doesn’t give you a free pass to go balls to the walls and eat the entire pan. Enjoy them in moderation and be happy that you are putting a dessert in your mouth made of real ingredients, gluten and soy free with no added junk!
So it’s Monday, a new week to crush it! This is going to be a busy week with a busier weekend ahead so yesterday I took some time to get my meal prep done and schedule out when I will be able to get to the gym. Did you plan out your week of food and workouts to ensure you get in healthy meals and exercise when you can? If not, you still have time! Take just a few minutes out of your day today to plan out when you will hit the gym and if you need to get in some meal prep. Fail to plan, plan to fail.
A lot of people like to “wait until Monday” to get started with a better eating routine or workout routine and if they miss a Monday, they tend to let the rest of the week go to shit because “they will start the next Monday.” Spoiler alert, your body has absolutely no idea what day of the week it is! It is up to you and you alone to commit and start no matter the day of the week. It also starts with making the choice to just do it. If you didn’t meal prep over the weekend, then do it tonight or when you have some free time. In the meantime, choose the best options when it comes to your meals and move as often as you can. Striving for perfection every single week can be your biggest hurtle of getting the results you want. Stop waiting for Monday, start as soon as you can and focus on making each day just a little bit better than the last.
My sweet tooth has been pretty low lately, but I still sent over half the pan of these bars home with my sister this weekend because they are quite addicting. Not to toot my own horn, but these bars are hands down one of the best desserts I have ever made and you should go make them right now!
- 2 cups gluten free rolled oats
- 1 cup Kerry Gold butter, melted
- ¾ cup organic honey
- 1¼ cup cassava flour
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup all natural peanut butter
- 1 cup enjoy life chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
- Add the oats, cassava flour, coconut sugar, baking soda and sea salt to a large bowl and sift together. Add the melted butter, honey and vanilla extract to the same bowl and mix until fully combined.
- Transfer the oat mixture to the greased baking dish and using a large spoon or your hand, spread the dough evenly over the entire pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the bars from the oven and let cool for 5-10 mins. Shut the oven off.
- Once the bars have slightly cooled and settled, add dollops of the peanut butter to the pan and let sit for a 3-4 mins to melt. To speed up the melting process, place the pan back in the shut off oven for 2-3 minutes. With the back of a spoon, gently smooth out the peanut butter over the entire pan of bars.
- Once the peanut butter is evenly spread, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the entire pan and let melt for 3-4 minutes. Again, to speed up the melting process, place the pan back in the shut off oven for 2-3 minutes. With the back of a spoon, gently smooth out the chocolate over the entire pan of bars.
- Let fully cool and enjoy!