4 Ingredient Healthy No Bake Peanut Butter Cup Oat Bars: this vegan peanut butter oatmeal bars recipe is so easy to make & tastes like peanut butter cups! Chewy peanut butter oatmeal bars with a thick, chocolate topping. Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Healthy.
What are your favorite snacks to bring with you on-the-go? Erik and I love walking all over the place, so we’re always searching/looking for ways to make healthy vegan treats that stay yummy without a fridge and are super portable.
I mean… unless you’ve got a teeny-tiny, like nearly microscopic mini-fridge/purse you can recommend? 😉 J/K!
I’ve noticed over many, many meal preps/snack preps for our excursions that no bake snacks truly fit the bill. They’re so easy to make, easy to customize with gluten free ingredients, and are seriously yummy.
Healthy No Bake Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal Bars (Vegan)
One of our favorites? These vegan + gluten free chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars! They’re made with just 4 ingredients, come together without an oven (wahooo!!) and are dairy-free, protein-rich, vegan and gluten free!
These healthy no bake peanut butter oat bars taste like peanut butter cups. Layer 1: a chewy, sweet peanut butter oat bar layer made with just 3 healthy ingredients. Layer 2: a thick ‘n rich vegan chocolate peanut butter topping. Result: the best chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars that taste like Reese’s peanut butter cups!
Healthy Peanut Butter Oat Bars with just 4 Ingredients!
Peanut Butter
I love using unsalted, natural creamy peanut butter to make these healthy peanut butter oat bars! Since I make many of these recipes with my mom in mind, I’m vigilant to leave out any unnecessary sources of sodium, like salted peanut butter. You can try that if you like, just keep in mind that it’ll affect the flavor of these gluten free peanut butter oat bars. It’s the same PB that I use in my 3 Ingredient Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Fat Bombs.
Gluten Free Oats
Make sure to use gluten free rolled oats aka old-fashioned oats to make these vegan peanut butter oatmeal bars. Quick oats, or 1-minute oats are much thinner and will yield a different result. For another tasty PB oatmeal recipe try my Healthy Peanut Butter Overnight Oats Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free).
Pure Maple Syrup
Pure maple syrup is one of my favorite ingredients to use in vegan gluten free baking. The flavor & sweetness of maple syrup is incredible! Plus, it makes these healthy peanut butter oat bars refined sugar-free (just make sure to use a vegan chocolate that’s refined sugar-free).
Vegan Chocolate Chips
There are a variety of dairy-free/vegan chocolate chips available. These vegan chocolate chips are allergy-friendly and melt very smoothly. Here’s another popular brand of allergy-friendly vegan chocolate chips. You might also try chopping up this paleo chocolate bar to ensure that these healthy peanut butter oat bars are not only gluten-free & healthy, but also refined sugar-free.
Can I Freeze these Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars?
Yes! I actually have a batch of these vegan peanut butter oatmeal bars in my freezer as we speak. To Freeze: after chilling and slicing, carefully place chocolate peanut butter oat bars in a freezer-friendly container or bag. Freeze oat bars for up to 2 months. Remember to thaw the oatmeal bars before enjoying!
Recipes Like Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Here are my favorite recipes that are similar to these chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars (all vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free):
- 4 Ingredient Easy Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars: these no bake peanut butter bars are easy to make & are the dessert version of this healthy no bake peanut butter oatmeal bars recipe!
- 4 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Energy Bites Recipe: these healthy energy bites are protein-rich, also taste like peanut butter cups & are super easy to make.
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies: sometimes, Erik and I like to shake things up and make no bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies instead of oatmeal bars!
- 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter No Bake Energy Bites Recipe: if you’re looking for healthy peanut butter oatmeal bars minus the oatmeal (and in bite form), try my super popular no bake peanut butter energy bites recipe.
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars: a baked peanut butter oatmeal treat that still qualifies as breakfast!
- Peanut Butter Coconut Oatmeal Cookies: one of my favorite gluten free combos: peanut butter + coconut!
- 4 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies: for no bake fans: a chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookie that’s similar to my healthy no bake peanut butter oat bars recipe. 🙂
- 5 Ingredient No Bake Snickerdoodle Cookies: for when you’re in the mood for a seasonal no bake treat. I make these with cashew butter, but peanut butter will totally work, too!
Best Tools for Gluten Free No Bake Peanut Butter Oat Bars
Click on the links below to see the tools & ingredients I used to make these healthy no bake chocolate peanut butter oat bars!
- 8-inch Baking Pan – I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve used this pan for gluten free baking. It’s awesome!
- Vegan Chocolate Chips – a fantastic brand of vegan, gluten-free and soy-free chocolate chips.
- Natural Unsalted Creamy Peanut Butter – my favorite brand of natural peanut butter, perfect for making healthy peanut butter oat bars. And yes, I do buy PB in bulk. 😉
- My Favorite Knife – this knife is so sharp! Perfect for getting those super-straight cuts when slicing these vegan chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars.
- GF Rolled Oats – you can’t make gluten free peanut butter oatmeal bars without oats, and this is a great brand to use.
- Maple Syrup – a vegan baking staple, I’ve always got a bottle (or 3) in my kitchen.
If you try my healthy peanut butter cup oat bars recipe, let me know in the comments below! It’s always so much fun sharing in these kitchen adventures with you. I can’t wait to hear what you think. ‘Til then…
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
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4 Ingredient Healthy No Bake Peanut Butter Cup Oat Bars – Vegan, Gluten Free
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
4 Ingredient Healthy No Bake Peanut Butter Cup Oat Bars: this vegan peanut butter oatmeal bars recipe is so easy to make & tastes like peanut butter cups! Chewy peanut butter oatmeal bars with a thick, chocolate topping. Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free.
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Oat Bars
- 1 cup unsalted, natural creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 ¼ cups gluten free rolled oats
Vegan Chocolate Topping
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted, natural creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or wax paper. Set aside.
- Make the Peanut Butter Oat Bars: In a medium, microwave-safe bowl (large enough to add oats later), add peanut butter and maple syrup. Whisk together until well-mixed. Heat in 20-second increments in the microwave until warm, fragrant and thickened. Whisk in between heating increments.
- Add oats. Stir and fold until thoroughly combined. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking pan. Using a rubber spatula, smooth into an even, tightly-packed layer. Set aside.
- Make the Vegan Chocolate Topping: Use the double boiler method or do the following. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, add Chocolate Topping ingredients. Heat in 20-second increments until softened and melted. Stir until smooth.
- Pour this chocolate mixture over the bars. Using a clean rubber spatula, smooth into an even layer.
- Freeze for 30-40 minutes, or until firm. Remove from freezer and slice into 16 bars. Enjoy! Storing instructions below.
Adapted from my No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars and my 4 Ingredient Easy Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars.
Try my 4 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Energy Bites Recipe and my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars!
Equipment
Reusable Zip Bags – Sandwich Size
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Notes
- Where to Buy Ingredients: Vegan Chocolate Chips | Unsalted, Natural Creamy Peanut Butter | Gluten Free Rolled Oats | Pure Maple Syrup
- Storing Instructions: Store in an airtight container such as these reusable zip bags in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Note: After the first day in the refrigerator, you may store these in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Freezing Instructions: Store in a freezer-friendly, airtight container for 1-2 months. These reusable bags are freezer friendly. Allow to thaw for 10-20 minutes before enjoying.
- Recommended Tools: Unbleached Parchment Paper | Reusable Zip Bags | 8-inch Baking Pan | My Favorite Knife | Heatproof Spatulas
- Nutrition Information: is an estimate based on the best-selling, most common brands per ingredient. Also, it’s estimated based on 16 servings per recipe. 🙂
- Category: Dessert, Snack
- Method: Chill
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 199
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 0mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 7g
Keywords: peanut butter oat bars, vegan peanut butter oatmeal bars, chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars, healthy no bake peanut butter oatmeal bars, gluten free, 4 ingredient
© beamingbaker.com. All content and images are protected by copyright. Please do not use my images or recipe without my permission. Please do not republish this recipe, instead, include a link to this post for the recipe.
WOW! WOW! WOW! These were awesome & so easy. We did add a 1/2 c. of gluten free crisp rice cereal for a little extra crunch and texture – DELICIOUS! Thank you!
WOOHOO!!! I’m so happy to hear that y’all enjoyed my recipe! Great idea to add in GF crisp rice cereal. YUM!
Hi Demeter. Thank you for the great recipes. I made these bars a few weeks ago and they came good. Today I made them and did not have as good of results. My oat mixture really fell apart when I cut them. I am enjoying eating the crumbs , but they should be in the crust. I wonder if there was too much peanut butter. I used a cup, but this time it was in the refrigerator so maybe I packed it too much. The topping does not cover the entire area and was hard to smooth out. It was melted enough, but kept lifting the oats. I ended up melting a little more peanut butter and chocolate chips. Next time I am going to double the topping and bring the peanut butter to room temperature before measuring. The taste was good. Do you have any suggestions? I agree with another person’s post in that they are not as thick as yours look in the picture. Thank you!
★★★★★
Hi Maria. Yes, it definitely seems like the peanut butter might be the issue. If it’s too dry, it will change how it intersects with he other ingredients and cause the final mixture to be too dry. Same for using the PB in the chocolate topping. I’d say to try it again with peanut butter that has the natural oil better incorporated. Hope this helps! 🙂
Thank you! I buy organic vegan peanut butter that is only peanuts. Do you refrigerate your peanut butter after opening? Thank you!
can the syrup be replaced with honey? that’s kind of random but i ran out…
Hi Annabelle! Yep, that would work fine here. Enjoy! 🙂
I am allergic to peanuts. Going to try with almond butter!
Hi Bess! Yep, that should work fine. Hope you enjoy the bars! 🙂
Such a perfect combo! Love these bars!
Agreed! 🙂 Thanks Cathy!
These were the perfect balance of moist and chewy; made them for a bake sale and got excellent reviews!
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Oh that’s wonderful Beth! I’m so happy to hear it! 😊
I can’t wait to try these!! They look SO good!!
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Yay! I think you’ll really love them Katerina!
These bars are a dream! Great for a healthy snack that tastes like a treat 🙂
★★★★★
Exactly! Who says your snacks can’t taste amazing? 🤔😄
These will be perfect to snack on this week! I love that it’s a no bake snack!
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Oh yes, I’m all about no bake snacks. They’re the best!
Nothing better than chocolate and peanut butter! You have my attention! I will be making these this weekend; delicious!
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Oh I couldn’t agree more Sara! 😋 Hope you enjoy them!
These won’t last long in my house!!
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Haha oh I bet not! 😄
A restaurant I frequent has these and I love them. I searched for a recipe and found this one. I’m going to make it this weekend. How do you get the parchment paper to be so flat and flush with the pan? I always have trouble with that as the parchment rides up. Do you cut it? You mentioned using wax paper. I’ll have to see if that’s easier.
Hi Shari! Yes, I cut the corners of the parchment paper so that they can fold over the corners of the pan easier. It can take a bit of practice, but after a while it gets easier. Wax paper will also works great too. Hope you enjoy the recipe Shari! 🙂
These are so easy and tasty! A new go-to recipe!
★★★★★
Woohoo! That’s awesome Kim!
I love it!! So easy and really delish! My kids can’t wait for me to make it again!
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Yay! So happy to hear it Toni! 😊
I am drooling over your photographs! These peanut butter bars look amazing — I’ve been on a no carb diet for 3 weeks, so I’m just sitting here trying to crawl through the screen (no success yet).
★★★★★
Aw thank you Lisa! You’re too sweet. ☺️ LOL I feel you on the diet! 😂
I love Oat based desserts and anything with peanut butter is good with me.
★★★★★
Same here! 😊 I think you’ll really love these cookies Dannii!
Can you use sugar free syrup? And when you say natural peanut butter, like skippy natural or real natural? Lol
Hi Faith! I haven’t tried it myself yet, but I think it should work. Let me know how it goes with the syrup! As for the PB: I use real natural (just peanuts), but other readers have used Jif with good results. 😄
Has anyone tried to make these with soy butter or sunflower butter. My son has peanut allergy and can’t have the peanut butter.
Hi Emile! Sunflower/soy butter will work fine with these. Hope you son enjoys them! 😊
Macros? Calories protein carbs fat please
Thanks
Hi Bonna! I’m in the process of adding nutrition info into all the recipes on my site—it’s a sow process but I’m getting there! Thanks for your patience. 🙂
Looks so delicious and so easy to make!
★★★★★
Thanks Natalie! Enjoy!!
I loved these! I was skeptical . at 4 ingredient and no-bake, but they were amaze! These totally classify as breakfast in my house, thanks for the new obsession, will be cruising your site for more!
Hiya Steph!! Hehe… glad to hear skepticism made way for YUM!! Oooh, having these for breakfast is the BEST idea! Can’t wait to see what you try next. 🙂
Oh my gosh! I can eat dessert again! I’m allergic to dairy, eggs, gluten and cane sugar! I will be using your recipes all the time now.
★★★★★
These look so good! My favorite flavors – chocolate and peanut butter – with oats thrown in! Also, quick and easy, what more can you ask for?! I can’t wait to make them for my kids (my daughter is vegan) – they look like a great snack. Thanks!
Thanks Tracy! Right? It’s so hard to resist the combo of chocolate, pb and oats. 😉 Can’t wait to hear what you two think! 🙂
Very good! I used crunchy peanut butter with the oats and creamy peanut butter with the chocolate. The crunchy peanut butter adds a nice crunch to the bars. I was disappointed in how thin they are. I used as 8 inch pan but my bars were about 1/4 an inch and the oat mix and chocolate topping were equal. Next time I will double the oat mix. Otherwise, very delicious!
★★★★★
So happy to hear you enjoyed these, Brooke! Definitely go for double if you like them thicker. Enjoy!
do you have the nutritional information?
Hi Kristin, not yet! I’m slowly, but surely working my way through adding that info to the site. There are nutritional calculators online. Good luck! 🙂
I’ve got instant oats. Is that the right thing or do I need something different?
Hi Nancy, you’ll actually need rolled oats, which are also called “old-fashioned oats.” The instant oats you have might work, but no guarantees since that’s not what I developed the recipe with. Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
This looks great!
★★★★★
These are delicous but the picture is wrong. I used an 8 x 8 dish as stated in the direction but my bars were not as thick as seen in the picture, these were a measly 1/3 of an inch high. The picture makes them look like they are 3/4 – 1″ inch in height. If I knew they would be so thin I would have easily doubled the batch. Oh and I did sprinkle some sea salt on top for a little kick.
★★★★
Glad to hear you enjoyed them! Good idea to increase the batch to your liking, and to add the sea salt. Enjoy! 🙂
Can you use peanut butter powder (pb2) re-hydrated in place of the unsalted pb? I can’t find unsalted pb in my town. OR can you use the salted?
Hi Kim, use the salted peanut butter. That will work, but just add a bit of saltiness to the bars. Enjoy! 🙂
Thank You for sharing your 4 ingredient bar recipe! I was looking for something like this for days. I was skeptical at first, but I followed your directions and wow! I took some with me hiking today, sitting on a mountain, gratefully eating my bar, thinking how happy I was I made these and thankful you would share such an awesome, simple and humane recipe!
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Aw, thank YOU, Zoë, for taking the time to leave such a wonderful comment. You pretty much described the perfect day right there. It totally gave me all the good vibes imagining that moment. Thank you for sharing that. Hugs!
I didn’t have maple syrup so I used agave, and for the topping I used regular p.b. and chocolate p.b. and added chocolate chips on top.
★★★★★
Awesome! Thank you for letting me know about those subs. I’ve always wondered about agave and regular PB. Hope you enjoyed them, Gigi! 🙂
Decided to do half honey, half syrup + added 1/3 cup chopped sea salt almonds, and dark choc. vegan chips….. SO GOOD– adds a little crunch too!
★★★★★
Oh gosh, that sounds INCREDIBLE, Nicolette! I love the sound of those sea salt almonds. Thanks for letting me know how these turned out for you! 🙂
These sound easy to make and amazing! I am going to have to try them out! Thank you!
They’re SO easy to make! Can’t wait to hear what you think, Kim! 🙂
Did honey instead of syrup and only 1/4 cup + added a mashed banana!!! Tastes great, just a little greasy
Adding in mashed bananas sounds awesome, Nicolette! I’ve got to try that some time. 🙂 Enjoy!
The recipe looks delicious but I’m just struggling with the pee proof underwear ads showing up in the midst of it all. Kind of spoils my appetite. But once I can get that image out of my head I’ll whip up a batch.
★★★★
Oh no! Sorry about that, Cary. I don’t have editorial pick of the ads that appear (unfortunately lol). Hopefully it’s all gone from your mind now. Can’t wait to hear what you think (about the bars, not the You Know What). .
This looks great. I’m going to make them for the kids on our road trip. However, I’m going to cheat and use regular oats and good old fashion chocolate chips. Hopefully, they turn out just as good.
★★★★★
Ooooh, what a great idea Julie! Sometimes snack cravings hit the strongest on the road! Lol on cheating–as long as it works for you and makes you & the fam happy, that’s all that matters. ❤️ They’ll turn out just fine! Can’t wait to hear what you think. Have a safe & fun trip. .
Curious: What peanut butter do you use? All the “healthy” ones I find are still really grainy–even though they’re called “creamy”! Thank you!
Hi Jaclyn! I switch between a variety of brands, and I always unsalted: Crazy Richard’s, Trader Joe’s brand, Whole Foods’ 365 brand. Hope this helps! 🙂
YES, YES, YES, YES, YES. These include all things wonderful and delicious and I want to eat them right now.
Woot woot!! Hope you get to try and just love it! 🙂
It has been way too long since I’ve visited and commented on this beautiful spot on the internet ;). Of Course, social media, but I don’t get your amazing commentary there!! These bars are totally winning the game. ALSO it is 101, YES, 101 degrees in Jamaica so no bake is DEF where I’m at!! Saving these beauties to try, D!
Aw… you’re the sweetest, J! <3 <3 I cannot believe that it's that hot in Jamaica!!! Wow!!! It was raining nonstop in Boston for ages, but now it's finally cleared up. Here's to us enjoying all this beautiful weather with a bunch of no-bake goodies! 😉
I’d love a piece with a glass of hot milk. Looks really good!!! Pinned
Enjoy! Thank you for pinning! 🙂
I love how easy these are to make yet how amazing they look 🙂
Thank you! Enjoy! 🙂
Four ingredient bars? No-bake? Sign me up! I feel like I say this every time, but you are the queen of no-bake, simple ingredient treats. Thees sound amazing! I’m ALL about that peanut butter and chocolate combination. In fact, I know that my husband might just eat these all before I get to them. So perfect for the summer too, especially since it’s been so hot here. Pinned of course! Hope your Tuesday is off to a great start!
Done and done! Keep saying it, because who wouldn’t want to be the queen of no bake? 😉 Thanks so much Gayle! Hope you and the hubster can whip up a batch and just love it! Have a great week!
Hello! I’m on the hunt for lactation recipes but am struggling to find any decent ones. Do you think I could add brewers yeast to this without ruining them?
Hi Ada! Hmm… I’m not sure since I haven’t tried using brewers yeast myself. I’d suggest adding 1 tablespoon in with the oats and seeing how they taste. If it’s still good, you can try another batch with 2 tablespoons. Experiment and see how you like it. Hope this helps! Can’t wait to hear how they turn out. 🙂
I mean, I for one am SUPER impressed these are only FOUR ingredients! Have you read the crazy list of crap in a store bought oatmeal bars? There are like a gazillion ingredients. And half of them I can’t even pronounce!! 🙂 Lucky for all of us, we have you and your genius brain who creates MAGICAL things like these oatmeal bars! For realsies. FOUR ingredients PLUS no baking AND PB+Chocolate. These are like the unicorn of oatmeal bars! Te-he-te-he! What’s not to love?! Pinned of course! Cheers, sweets.
P.s. clearly I miss you more since I always messaged you last. And yes, I’m sticking my tongue out at you right now! XOXOX
★★★★★
Aw, yeah! Aw, yeah! Can you hear my momma chanting that? 😉 I mean, our momma? <3 <3 Seriously, homemade granola bars are the best! Big hugs to ya, Chey. P.S. Clearly, I MISS you more but am just WAY too swamped... you're a multi-tasking wizard! 😉 LOVE ya & totally miss you MORE! <3 <3
I can’t believe these granola bars contain only 4 ingredients! . You always have the best simple recipes! . I’m making these for my next snack/dessert? .I love that you incorporated some peanut butter in the chocolate topping. . I expect that with you since it’s one of your favorite combos! ..= ❤️
★★★★★
It’s like tasty, edible magic, right? 😉 Aw, thanks so much Sabrina! There’s almost nothing better than chocolate and PB together. 🙂 Hugs!
Uh, yes! So right! . So, I totally tried these and they’re amazing and so easy! Thanks so much for another delicious recipe, Demeter! ❤️
Awesome!! Thanks for letting me know how they turned out, Sabrina! 🙂 Thank YOU for your support–I always, always appreciate it. ❤️ .
My pleasure!! .❤️ You always have my support!
Sending you like the BIGGEST hugs ever!! ❤️ Btw, LOVED your post on IG of these bars! .
Aww! . You totally made my day, Demeter! Lots of hugs!! . Thanks SO much for checking out my IG!! ❤️
These bars look absolutely scrumptious! And so they should be, they’re made with chocolate, peanut butter, and oats! Everything I love in a granola bar! 🙂 Hope you have a great week, Demeter! xo
★★★★★
Thanks Marsha! 🙂 That’s all you really need to make a granola bar tasty, right? 😉 Hope you have an awesome one, Marsha! xo
Granola bars that are too soft to be called granola bars sounds like a very good problem to have. Like the kind of problem that I could see ending in me eating an embarrassing amount of this “unacceptable” peanutty oat batter. But transforming them into a new fantastical wonks-would-be-proud chocolate-topped granolssert and sharing them with the world is SO much better a plan! Me and my dog need to whip these up ASAP. And best part about doggy sidekick is she can’t have chocolate so you know what that means…all for MEEEEEE. Kay fine, I’ll leave some sans chocolate for the peanut-loving pooch. Happy monday!!
Hehe. Right? Sometimes the crunchy ones make me feel like I’m gonna break my teeth! Also, what a fun way to “have to” eat all the peanut butter and oats. 😉 Can’t wait to hear what you and your dog think (except for the chocolate part lol). 😉 Happy Monday my dear! <3
So easy, simple and delicious! These sound dangourus to have around! So pretty as well!
Thanks Patrick! Yes, they are a bit dangerous to have around. 😉 Hugs!