No bake Peanut Maple Oat bars

Pro-tip, save a spoonful of the peanut butter maple blend as a pre-treat!

Warning, these are addicting!

These are a perfect sweet tooth treat as long as you don’t eat the entire pan! ****May or may not be speaking from experience ;-) I like to eat these before a run if it has been awhile since I have eaten, and it is not quite meal time yet. Or as a quick refuel after a hard workout.

Let me tell you about the ingredients and why I use what I do. You can scroll down to recipe if you want.

Gluten free oats. Oats are gluten free but a nutrition doctor I worked with in 2022 told me that it is good to take the extra step of buying ones that are listed Gluten Free.

Maple syrup- I use this in moderation. In working with a Registered Dietitian I learned that maple syrup does not spike blood sugar like honey, sugar or agave nectar do. This is helpful to keep my metabolism high and my weight down.

Only peanuts peanut butter- you can make this at home, buy it freshly made or purchase on shelves. I use this for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. PB & J is a favorite long run fuel or after run treat. I make my own berry jam. Leave a comment if you want me to share the recipe!

Ingredients

3 cups oats

1 cup “Only Peanuts” Peanut butter (*plus one tablespoon optional- I will explain later)

3/4 cup real maple syrup- you can be a little heavy handed. See photo of where I fill to.

1 tsp real vanilla extract

Directions

Put 3 cups oats in bowl. Line a 9 x 9 pan with wax paper.

Melt peanut butter and maple syrup in pan. Do not cook down, just get to a creamy consistency. Add the vanilla extract.

Pour peanut butter mixture on oats and mix. Note- if you added the extra spoonful of peanut butter you can pull one tablespoon of the yummy maple peanut butter mixture to eat now and enjoy!

Spread mixture into lined pan. Use a piece of wax paper to firmly press down. This will keep your fingers from getting sticky. Put in refrigerator for at least one hour. Slice and serve. Store in fridge in airtight container.

How long will this last in fridge? I have no idea. They always disappear well before they go bad!