Granola bars signal mid-afternoon or post-workout snack, so they ought to be filling, with lots of protein to get you through the day. It doesn't hurt to get a little naughty and also add in something like Nutella that really gets an A+ in deliciousness, but not so much in the protein department (only 2 grams per 2 tbsp serving). But taste outweighs nutrition here — whatever. I packed these Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter and Nutella Granola Bars with quick oats and Rice Krispies cereal, Peanut Butter and Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter, peanuts, agave, brown sugar, and a little vanilla. Oh, and chocolate chips. No butter, no oil, no white sugar, no eggs, and certainly no crazy sounding ingredients that you can't pronounce like you often find on the back of those store-bought bars.
So yeah, I may have buried tons of chocolate into these babies. But you love me for it, don't you?
I hope Kathia from Basic N Delicious does. She's my partner this month for #LeftoversClub and I'm packaging up these Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter and Nutella Granola Bars to send her way. Last month, Kathia made these freakin' awesome Coconut Dulce de Leche Cookies for #LeftoversClub and had me drooling all over my keyboard. She's from Costa Rica, so she really knows how to jam-pack her recipes with a taste of the Caribbean, like this Costa Rican Style Rice and Beans. I've never been to Costa Rica, but I'm thinking it should get added to my bucket list...
2 cups Quaker quick oats
1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup Peanut Butter and Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup agave
1/4 cup Dixie Crystals dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate chips
In a large bowl, combine quick oats, cereal, and peanuts and set aside. In a medium glass bowl, stir together peanut butter, Nutella, agave, brown sugar, and vanilla and heat for 45 seconds in the microwave. Give it another stir and microwave for another 30 seconds.
Pour the peanut butter and Nutella mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well. Add in the chocolate chips and continue to stir until all of the dry ingredients are completely coated.
Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Use a rubber spatula to spread mixture evenly in the pan. Refrigerate for at least one hour before slicing into squares or bars, whichever you prefer. Store in an airtight container.
Do you want to be part of the #LeftoversClub? It's easy (and so much fun!) Just head on over to The Leftovers Club and sign up. Maybe we'll get paired up and I can spoil you with more peanut butter and Nutella-spiked desserts.