Peanut Butter Drizzled Granola Bars

You know what I’ll never be able to get enough of? Granola bars. I probably have at least one a day. And if I could, I would probably want to eat them all the time, it’s sad… and probably a little unhealthy, I know, but I can’t help it.

I love the chewy ones because I can slowly pick off the chocolate chips and devour those first. Then I’m able to taste the little rice bubbles coated in some kind of sticky caramel thing that tastes like candy. And don’t get me started on the chewy bars with a bottom that’s been laced with chocolate. Mmmhmmm. That’s good stuff right there.
And the crunchy kind, specifically Nature Valley’s crunchy granola bars. The Oats & Honey is just sweet enough while the Cinnamon one tastes like dessert, only in crunchy snack form, and Peanut Butter. Oh peanut butter has my heart too, especially with that little peanut drizzle on top. It’s the only one (that I know of) with a sweet little drizzle on top of it. I love little drizzles.

Guess what? These granola bars have a little drizzle on them too. It’s peanut butter. It’s a peanut butter drizzle on a granola bar that can be chewy or crunchy.

I tried making chewy granola bars the other day, but they kinda flopped as a bar. Instead I crumbled it up and ate it as granola. Between my dad and I that stuff lasted only a few hours, it was sort of sad. So yesterday I decided to not really follow a recipe, but make my own granola bars instead.

The recipe I used had called for melted butter- something that I don’t think did much to help the oats and rice cereal stick together too well. So I asked myself what is something that would help make the granola bars stick? Peanut butter makes everything stick together! So I used peanut butter to make these little tasty treats for you guys. If you want your bars crunchy, keep them in the fridge to have as a cool snack (it’s supposed to be 100 degrees for the next week here); if you want your bars chewy, keep them in the pantry at room temperature.

Peanut Butter Drizzled Granola Bars
Recipe by me
Makes 9x9 or 8x8 inch square

Ingredients
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
Pinch of salt
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup honey
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
Directions
In a medium bowl mixt together the oats, cereal, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium sauce pan heat the peanut butter on medium heat until melted. Stir in the honey until completely incorporated. Stir the sugar until melted into the peanut butter-honey mixture. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Add the hot peanut butter mixture to the oats mixture and stir. Once you’ve stirred and can’t stir anymore, use your hands to get the rest of the job done. Press the oat mixture into a lightly greased 9x9 or 8x8 inch pan. Pack the granola in there tightly. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
Remove from the fridge and drizzle the peanut butter glaze (stir together 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar + 1 tbsp. creamy peanut butter, melted + 2-3 tsp. milk) over the uncut granola block. Place back into the fridge for about an hour or until the glaze firms up. Cut into bars (I got 14 and 2 halves granola bars). Wrap in plastic wrap or foil. Keep in the fridge or at room temperature.