Just the thought of a creamy peanut butter cup melting in our mouths is enough to make our heads spin around! There is nothing like the combination of peanut butter and chocolate; the perfect marriage of sweet and salty flavors rolled into one. That’s why this bar recipe is such a great thing to have on hand for both happy and even stressful moments! We know you love treats like we do so we searched high and low for a recipe that doesn’t compromise one bit on the sweet taste we all love, but we also wanted to add a wholesome twist that makes these peanut butter chocolate bars deliciously guilt-free.
Heart-healthy rolled oats are bound together with peanut butter and maple syrup, creating a firm and tasty base. Then, when you put the rest of this dish together, it’s really all about layering – three layers to be exact. You’ve got your oat base, peanut butter filling, and a delicious top layer of rich chocolate frosting. Plus, if you’re wondering whether you need to preheat the oven, the answer is no! We almost couldn’t believe it ourselves when we figured out that this dish doesn’t require any heat! How great is that? There’s nothing wrong with baking when the time is right, but sometimes…we don’t just don’t feel like taking that extra step when we need a quick treat. This oven-free recipe is also a safe and relatively healthy for kids to have some fun in the kitchen too. Who doesn’t love a dish that comes together quickly and that brings the family together as well during the making of it?!
Here are some tips we picked up along the way…. We discovered that cutting out a piece of wax paper for the bottom of the pan really helped to remove the bars later without sticking, so keep that in mind while prepping your dish. That, and you’ll want a sharp knife for slicing through all the yummy layers, which makes things much easier. We all love to save time, and bars are faster to portion than individual cookies and other more complicated desserts. If you’re planning on feeding a crowd, this is also a recipe you can also double or even triple without much effort. How can anyone resist such an tempting, healthy treat?
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