crunchy peanut butter granola bars (grain free, scd)

these homemade granola bars are full of the good stuff and none of the bad stuff. they’re grain free, refined sugar free, and simply delicious.

I’ve made a solemn promise to myself that 2021 is the year I develop more grain free granola bar recipes. I love a good granola bar and it’s something I am thoroughly missing in my life. I could essentially eat granola (bar format or otherwise) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

I have two different recipes on my site currently for granola bar, both are SCD, but it’s about time for something fresh and something entirely different. Hence: the crunchy peanut butter granola bar. I don’t do a lot with peanuts, I don’t typically even buy peanuts and I tend to lean towards almond butter, but I really wanted a peanut-butter-y bar that was filled with little bits of peanuts– so that’s exactly what this bar is. 

It’s not strictly peanuts and peanut butter, though, the granola bar also calls for medjool dates to help sweeten and firm up the bars, alongside honey, and coconut, both flaked and desiccated, as well as an egg.

When you combine all the ingredients (it’s a very easy recipe to follow along!) you wind up with these amazing, healthful granola bars for every day snacks, lunch, kids, school, work, etc, you name it. I love the fact that these are a perfect granola bar size for a snack-on-the-go, and you can store them each in individually wrapped parchment paper pieces and ziplocs, so that it’s easy to really just grab one and go.

These granola bars do soften when they’re left at room temperature, but not so much so that they will fall apart– they’ll just get a bit more bendy. Nonetheless, I do recommend storing these in your fridge or freezer, simply because it will help them keep their freshness as well as their shape, and yet when you remove one bar from the fridge/freezer, it will also be soft enough to eat in no time (or perhaps you, like me, don’t mind eating granola that’s frozen/rock solid).

If you try making this recipe, please drop a comment below, and tag me on Instagram (or wherever!) with your creation @grainfreee. Hope you all enjoy!!

crunchy peanut butter granola bars: ingredients

• 7 medjool dates
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 1/3 cup of crunchy, 100% real peanut butter
• 1 cup finely chopped raw peanuts (peanut pieces) 
• 1 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut 
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract 
• dash of salt (optional)

crunchy peanut butter granola bars: how to

1. Pit and roughly chop up the dates.
2. Place the 1/2 cup of honey and the dates into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once it boils, add in the peanut butter, and turn down to low, simmering for five mins while you mix the peanut butter in well. 
3. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
4. Remove the date mixture from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Stir the date mixture in with the dry ingredients, and add the egg, mixing well until everything is well combined and covered as evenly as possible.
5. Place the mixture onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray (12 x 8 inches approx), spreading it out with a spatula. You’ll want to push it to the edges of the sheet, and it may take several times of spreading it out, along the length of the baking tray, with the spatula.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 340 for 15-20 minutes. Check after 15 mins to avoid it getting burnt.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing into rows of three. 
8. Store the granola bars in individual parchment paper sleeves, or simply between layers of parchment, in the fridge or freezer.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

crunchy peanut butter granola bars (grain free, scd diet)

these homemade granola bars are full of the good stuff and none of the bad stuff. they're grain free, refined sugar free, and simply delicious.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Servings: 18 granola bars

Author: grainfreee.com

Ingredients

• 7 medjool dates
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup crunchy, 100% all-natural peanut butter
• 1 cup finely chopped raw peanuts (peanut pieces) I buy them already broken into pieces
• 1 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 
• dash of salt (optional)

Instructions

• Pit and roughly chop up the medjool dates. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
• Place the 1/2 cup of honey and the dates into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
• Once it boils, add in the peanut butter, and turn down to low, simmering for five mins while you mix the peanut butter in well. 
• Remove the date mixture from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
• Stir the date mixture in with the dry ingredients, and add the egg, mixing well until everything is well combined and covered as evenly as possible.
• Place the mixture onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray (12 x 8 inches approx), spreading it out with a spatula. You’ll want to push it to the edges of the sheet, and it may take several times of spreading it out, along the length of the baking tray, with the spatula.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 340 for 15-20 minutes. Check after 15 mins to avoid it getting burnt.