These bars might be your new favorite snack.
Peanut butter snack bars!
Salty and sweet, these no-bake bars taste even better than peanut butter pretzel Luna Bars. But they confuse me: How can a recipe with absolutely no chocolate taste so good?
It just doesn’t make sense.
You know what else confuses me?
Moles. And protons and neutrons and electrons. But mostly, moles. I sat through an entire year of AP Chemistry and still don’t understand moles. Not in the slightest.
Until I learned to cook, I thought I disliked science. Only recently did I realize the reason for my animosity towards the subject: I just couldn’t figure out how our school science experiments applied to real life. (Even the more exciting experiments, such as growing plants in 7-up or red food dye… how on earth was I ever going to use the information gleaned from that study?)
But it turns out I do like some branches of natural science, such as the science of nutrition, and the science of cooking. (Edible experiments are the best!) My advice to science teachers: Ditch the moles.
Focus on pretzels and peanut butter!
Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars
(No-bake!)
Category: Healthy Peanut Butter Recipes.
- 1 cup rice crispies (30g) (either brown or white)
- packed 1/2 cup oat flour (70g) (see instructions for substitution)
- 1/4 tsp salt (my pb also has salt)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons agave (Pure maple syrup will probably work)
- 3 tablespoons pb (or other nut butter) (Or you can switch the proportions of peanut butter to agave.)
- optional: handful of broken-up pretzels (I didn’t measure)
- optional: double batch PB Magic Shell
Combine all dry ingredients. In a separate (large) bowl, combine wet and stir to form a thin paste. (If you store your pb in the fridge, you should warm it a little for easier mixing.) Pour dry into wet (not the other way around), and stir until evenly coated. Line a baking dish or tupperware container with a large piece of wax paper and pour the mixture into the dish. Fold the extra paper over the mixture and squish down as hard as you possibly can! Use a heavy object to really press it down. (The mixture will fill a 7×5, or about 2/3 an 8×8.) Stick the mixture in the fridge or freezer to harden before cutting into bars. Makes 6 bars. (If you can’t find oat flour, you can make your own by blending oats in the food processor. Just be sure to measure after blending.)
For authentic Luna Bars, top with: Peanut Butter Magic Shell.
As stated earlier, you should make a double batch to coat the bars. Spread it on evenly. When the bars cool in the fridge/freezer, the tops will magically harden.
Question of the Day:
Did you have a least favorite subject in school?
Growing up, I dreaded science class, whether it was chemistry or biology or physics. People always told me how lucky I was to get good grades on Spanish and English tests without studying… Little did they know I once studied for an AP Chem test and still got a 25 (my worst-ever test grade). But you know what? I’m more proud of the C I earned in Chem than the As in subjects that came more easily. I worked hard for that C; it could have so easily been an F! Link of the Day:
Your chocolate shell on top might be even better.
You rock! I’ve nominated you for The Sunshine Award 🙂
http://abigailchristens.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/i-won-a-sunshine-award/
By the way, I made these with cheerios, and they turned out great. I didn’t pre-crush mine, just used them whole. I then froze them for 30 minutes, and cut them and they held together really well
I’m really glad to know it works with other cereals! I’ll definitely have to pick up a box of cheerios to try. The apple cinnamon ones used to be my favorite things… although lol I’m not sure they’d work well in this recipe. But hey, apples go well with peanut butter, right? 😉
I had trouble with the cheerios it was really lumpy but still good I squished it between 2 peices of foil and put it in the fridge overnight it didn’t cut well it kinda fell apart but we realized it was really good just breaking off pieces 🙂
I made these for my husband for Easter, he loved them! This recipe has his favorite foods all wrapped up in one 🙂 I melted chocolate on top instead of the PB magic shell, yummy variation. Thanks Katie!
I don’t know if someone explained this already (I quickly skimmed the comments to check, but I didn’t see anything) (and I know you did not request a mini mini science lesson but) but moles are actually super easy and convenient! And if you (or anyone) was confused, it’s just because your teacher didn’t explain them properly. Basically the term “mole” functions in science etc. the same way the word “dozen” or “tsp” would apply in the real world. I have a dozen bagels–I have 12 of them. If I have a mol of hydrogen atoms, I have 6.022 x 10^23 of them. It’s just a unit of measurement on steroids because atoms and molecules are just so incredibly small. It’s so much easier to say “combine 2 mols of H with 1 mol of O to get H2O” than “combine 12.022 x 10^23 atoms of H…”
Also, 1 mol of atoms of an element equals the mass of the element on the periodic table in grams. e.g. 1 mol of Carbon atoms weighs 12.01g.
These look yummy, must try!
This recipe couldn’t have any better timing! I just so happened to be looking for a way to use up the bag of pretzels I just opened for another recipe. I’m not a huge fan of plain pretzels, but this sounds like the perfect solution! Thanks. 🙂
haha this post made me laugh! & this recipe is genius! and i have all the ingredients so im all set. environmental science was def my favorite subject in high school. i agree that science experiments should always be carried out based on real inquiry, and if students dont have curiousity about the experiment results because it wasnt explained well or doesnt apply to anything then its just no good.
i am a chemical oceanographer (still in training!) and hope i can dispell the confusion over moles for you..saying you have a mole of something is just like saying you have a dozen of something..its a measure indicating the number of items you have. if you had a mole of PB pretzel bars, you would have 6.02 x 10^23 of them, whereas if you follow the recipe you will have half a dozen.
I wish someone had explained moles to me in terms of peanut butter long ago ;).
Wow, just made em and theyre in the fridge, the recipe came together excellently! I found that an avocado masher was useful for the mixing and mashing. The tastes I had so far were deeelishous! Perfect lazy day recipe because it was so easy! Thanks katie!
Ok, I made these and I really like them, but they weren’t sweet enough for me. I didn’t use the shell topping and I omitted the vanilla extract because I was out. haha. But they were still pretty good! Next time I’ll probably add some sugar? Or maybe I’ll add the shell to the ones I have now! 🙂
Oddly enough, the vanilla extract will REALLY make a difference. I highly recommend not omitting it, because the taste is totally different! Also, did you use the full 5 tbsp agave?
I was SO surprised my roomies didn’t have any vanilla. haha. But I was already in the process of making them so I didn’t want to run to the store! And honestly, it’s very possible that I only did 3 tbsps of agave because I might have been thinking about the 3 tbsps for PB. So it was probably either the lack of vanilla or the inadequate agave! haha. 🙂
I just discovered PB2, I was wondering if you have tried it, or know someone who has. I am intrigued to know if it’s any good. Thanks for the great pb recipes. I have always been afraid of coconut and nut butters, but you have made me a bonafide convert!
I can even eat things that used to trigger migraines if I stick to wholesome non-processed foods. I feel great…thank you
I’ve tried it… but I like real pb much better! But I know a lot of people love it!
Jorie- I eat it all the time and LOVE it. I mostly use it to save calories because I am a peanut butter addict, and eating it by the spoonful adds up… I like to mix it in things like oatmeal-see Katie’s chocolate oatmeal recipe. I tried it in these and they ended up being a little runny because I added an equal proportion of water. I think next time I will just add the dry PB2 and then add the water/milk accordingly if I need so they stick together better. In the meantime I am eating frozen granola bars, still delicious 🙂