Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars (V+GF): a simple recipe for deliciously textured oatmeal breakfast bars bursting with peanut butter and chocolate flavor. Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free.
Yep, we’ve been on a bit of a peanut butter craze ‘round these parts. There was this. Then this. And let’s not forget this… There’s just something about back to school and the approaching autumn season that calls for like, a max-pack of peanut butter. And then some. Like, send me the entire shipping crate of PB, then reorder another batch.
For the homemade PB cups, of course. 😉 Uh… and, let’s be honest, for eating PB outta the jar when no one’s looking. #FriendsTellEachOtherTheTruth #AndAlsoShareReallyLongSentenceHashtagsWithEachOther #WowThatWasLong #TrueStory ????
But ever since Erik decided he likes PB again, I just can’t help but bring it back, in a BIG way. I mean, who knows if he’s gonna change his mind again? Not to worry, I’ve got stores of almond butter just in case/when that day inevitably comes.
In the meantime, we’re gonna have cookies for breakfast. I mean, um… breakfast bars for breakfast. Yeah, that sounds way more adult and reasonable. These breakfast “bars” are packed full of peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate chips because…
A day that begins with cookies peanut butter breakfast bars is a day that is going to ROCK. ????
Anyway, as some of you might remember, in an older post, I told you about how Erik used to just LOVE peanut butter. I got to picking up/making all kinds of peanut butter treats for him. Then… come to find, he couldn’t care less for it. And then then, he decides he likes it again. What the???
Now that he’s back on the peanut butter train, we’ve got to make it count! Are there any other would-be riders out there? Anyone else interested in a PB ticket? Gosh, that would be a messy ticket.
And now that I’ve shown you what an impeccable sense of focus and single-mindedness I have (not), allow me to redirect your attention from peanut butter to oats. Oatmeal. Rolled oats. Or… all of the above.
Did I ever tell you that Erik and I have been on a very long and very “colorful” journey with oatmeal? Goodness gracious. And by colorful, I do mean… downright unseemly. So for ages now, we’ve all heard about the benefits of oatmeal. It’s good for your heart, helps with things I’m not gonna mention because we’re here to stimulate your appetite, not reduce it… and so forth.
But how does one eat oatmeal in a way that’s tasty?
And way back when, we were sooo not good at preparing food or cooking (yes, making oatmeal counts as cooking). We were fresh out of college, so clearly we were no geniuses in the kitchen. Read: completely clueless.
Anywho, we went through an entire evolution with oatmeal. We started by eating it with… dare I even say it out loud? Water. No fruit. No milk. No add-ins. Just water. And… dare I say this out loud? It was quick oats. Sigh.
Does anyone else feel slightly afraid/uncertain around quick oats?? I know that it all comes down to my lack of know-how on handling them, but… I’m completely flabbergasted as to their texture, their exuberant willingness to quickly soak up water milk, and the way they always turn mushy on me.
Almost a decade later, we finally learned how to sass up our oatmeal with fruits, dried coconut, even a dash of almond extract for fun, and…. wait for it… almond MILK. See ya, Water!!! High-five for me and the milk, right? Riiiiight? No? Moving on…
Both of us are still wary around quick oats. And obviously, we need to find at least one clue to get ourselves to friendly ground with those absorbent buggers. But in the meantime, Rolled Oats in the House!!! 🙂
Rolled oats and I are on friendly terms. Can I get a high-five, now??? 😉 Anyway, I figured that everyone has their own breakfast/oatmeal intake struggle like we do (okay, maybe not to such an embarrassing, high pitch), so may I present to you: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars.
I will take my high-five now. 😉
I’ve experimented and kitchen-failed and etc. my way through oatmeal recipes so that I could convince others and myself that there was a much yummier way to eat these super grains. Should we hug now?
Best of all, they’re so easy to make, even easier to eat and… FREE from water. 😉 I packed in as much protein and nutritious awesomeness to keep you going throughout the entire day. Plus, get your energy levels up before all the holiday fun and socializing happens. But for real though, how exhausting is it to socialize for like 1, maybe 2 hours?
Uh, back to the point: let me tell you all about these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. They’re:
- super easy to make, in just two bowls
- full of simple, delicious ingredients
- vegan, gluten free, dairy free
- incredibly textured
- bursting with peanut butter YUM
- packed full of coconut, oats and chocolate chips
- plant-based and allergy-friendly
- basically cookies you can eat for breakfast
- lightly crispy at the edges and super soft in the center
- a guilt-free excuse to have chocolate first thing in the AM
So maybe you always knew you loved peanut butter. Or, you’re a bit tentative about it. Maybe you’ve always been awesome at breakfast, but are looking for something new to try. Either way, you and I both know there’s nothing better than something you made, all by yourself (or with your loved ones). Try your hand at these breakfast bars and see how amazing you can be in the kitchen. And out.
Tell me, what’s your favorite breakfast food?
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
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Here are a few items I used in today’s recipe. 🙂
Cooling Rack | Coconut Oil | GF Rolled Oats (Bulk)
My Favorite Knife | Baking Pan (8-inch) | Ground Flaxseed
- ¾ cup gluten-free rolled oats
- ¼ cup gluten-free oat flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flax + 6 tablespoons water, whisked together, set for 15 mins)
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons natural, unsalted peanut butter*
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup vegan chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup walnuts, chopped (or add-ins of your choice)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or greased foil. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients: oats, flour, coconut, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients: flax eggs, coconut oil, peanut butter, coconut sugar and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to fold the ingredients together until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Pour dough into the prepared baking pan. Using a rubber spatula, spread into an even and tightly packed layer.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes. Mine took 25 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the top is a rich golden brown.
- Place on a cooling rack for 1 hour, or until completely cool. Lift breakfast bars out of the baking pan. Slice into 16 bars. Enjoy! Storing notes below.
- Adapted from my Gluten Free Trail Mix Cookies and my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies. Both Vegan, Gluten Free and Dairy Free.
- Store in an airtight container for 1 week.
- More Healthy Snacks here.
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Sometimes, all you need is a COOKIE. Let’s do this! Try my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free).
When your peanut butter chocolate craving needs MORE. Try my Gluten Free Vegan Peanut Butter Cups (V, GF, Dairy Free).
Saving the best for last. Wonderfully decadent, wonderful satisfying: Gluten Free Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Brownies (V, GF, Dairy Free).
This post may contain affiliate links, which allow me to make a small commission for my referral, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Beaming Baker.
So it’s so much more socially acceptable to say breakfast bars than breakfast cookies, right 😉 ? What’s in a name? Apparently everything…hehehe! Less guilt when we call them breakfast bars…or even breakfast bites?
Girl, way back when I didn’t have a clue what I was doing in the kitchen, either. Oh, the stories. Embarrassing, I tells ya, embarrassing! I’ll forgive ya for using water and quick oats. That’s ok. Could have been worse. You could have attempted to make pea soup and left it on the stove top with minimal water and went outside to wash the car……….I don’t know who that was…..um….moving on 😉
Socializing? Ok, I love to socialize, but sometimes by the time Friday rolls around I just want to veg out on the couch and watch tv. I mean, who has the energy, right?? If I could have, like, a 3 day weekend every weekend maybe I’d have more energy…maybe ? Maybe I should be drinking more coffee. Scratch that. Maybe not. I think I have enough coffee. Lol. Ok, I’m rambling.
My fave breakfast food? That’s a hard one! I do love avocado and toast, but that’s such an easy answer, isn’t it? Maybe a breakfast skillet with eggs and beans and cheese and stuff 🙂 But that answer may change depending on my mood, lol 😀
Anywho, absolutely love your breakfast bars, of course. and anything with peanut butter is awesome in my books! Hubby would love these too! Pinned! Making these soon 🙂
Have a fantastic long weekend, my friend! xoxo
Totally! With these bars… who could honestly feel guilty about eating them for breakfast? 😉 Oh, now I have to make some breakfast bites! Lolol. Good idea, D! That pea soup story totally made me laugh!! Love it. Oh, I’ve GOT some even more embarrassing disasters… but let’s wait until we’re even closer to test our friendship with those stories. 😉 Hahaha. Fridays: Yep. That’s why some genius invented Netflix ‘n Chill. Who’s got the energy by the week’s end? I love avo and toast too!! No reason to not celebrate an easy answer. 🙂 Can’t wait to hear what you think of these, Dawn! Have a great, great weekend! xoxo
Good morning Demeter,
I don’t have any fun morning routines. It’s a struggle every day! These bars look fantastic and would certainly help motivate me to get up in the morning! Maybe that could be part of my morning routine! I love breakfast cookies- i mean, bars. LOL. Add in oats, chocolate, and peanut butter and I’m sold!
Can’t wait to make these!!!
Good afternoon, Lucy! 🙂 Oh totally understandable. I get the morning grumps too, for sure! Haha on the bars v cookies! Yep, having cookies–um, I mean bars for breakfast will certainly brighten your morning. Can’t wait to hear what you think, Lucy! 🙂
These look yummy❣ Did you use the large flaked coconut or the small flaked?
Hi Medolark, thanks so much! Medium flaked, funnily enough. 😉 But either should work just fine. 🙂
That’s funny. I have large curled flakes and very small macaroon flakes. The search is on for a medium sized flake. Thanks.
Oh no! How about you use half of each? I like the way varied sizes create a delicious texture in these bars. Or, you could place the large curled flakes in a blender and pulse a few times. 🙂
My favorite breakfast food? I gotta go with perfectly poached eggs over buttered toast…but because that is strictly a weekend food (because who has time for that on a Monday?) I think these pb bars could be a close second – because I am the chief engineer of the Peanut Butter Train! YUM! xo
Seriously, weekday mornings are too crazy and hectic for anything more than a quick breakfast! Well, hello there, Chief! Thank you for helping us get to PB Town! 😉 xo
I’m starting to wonder if you cut yourself if you would bleed peanut butter and chocolate. Not that I want you to accidentally cut yourself to find out! DON’T DO THAT! 😉 BUT, I’m thinking there is a strong possibility your body is made up of PB and C. <3 I don't blame you for eating all the peanut butter though, because your right, a day might come when E decides he doesn't like it again. So you might as well get your fix while you can! Now quick oats.. believe it or not I've never had 'em… and I'm thinking I'm never going to. Especially with water. EW. I'll just live vicariously through you on that one, mi lady! 😉 Anyways, these cookies…errrr bars, are FAB! Such a delicious way to wake up. And you are right, a day that starts with these texture packed bad boys is SURE to be a great one! Pinned of course! Cheers, lovely – to a fabulous, LONG weekend! YAY! xoxo
What a frightening visual!! But also quite curious. Lol. Yeah, PB totally runs in my veins. What can I say? E, however… his veins change all the time. Okay, now all this talk of veins is gettin’ weird! 😉 You’ve never had quick oats? Fascinating! We’ll both have to give it a good shot one of these days! Thank you my friend. Have a fantastic weekend! xoxo
Gurl, you gotta stop with all the yummilicious peanut butter and chocolate goodies because there’s not enough days in the week for me to make all of them and still eat regular food too! lol! Seriously, don’t stop…believing that PB and chocolate should be served at every meal 😉
Yummulicious? LOVE it!! Oh, forget the regular food, and grab some PB bars! 😉 Don’t stop believing: LOLOL. Muah!
Oh my – water and oats are the pits! I made that unfortunate mistake once – I was at work (I work a full-time job in the ad world-well, at least till Sep 30, then gonna try and do the blog thing full-time) but, I digress, I was bordering on hangry and had to eat something and the vending machine was downright unappetizing so I found an old pack of instant oatmeal lounging around in the common area, since there was no milk, I figured what the hey – and gosh – it tasted like hey allright! But live and learn – now I know that “a day that begins with cookies peanut butter breakfast bars is a day that is going to ROCK!” Yes yes yes! You can call em cookies or bars – I call em just plain deliciousness!
RIGHT?!? I KNEW you would know about this one, Shashi!! Woah, congrats on the impending transition! I’m so excited for you!! 🙂 Isn’t it just awful? I mean, I wasn’t as smart as you and I did it over and over and over again. Sigh. Post-college days, ya know? Best day ever! Keep me posted on your transition! Best of luck, my friend! xoxo
No need to ever stop with the PB 😉
Oatmeal always needs a bit of jazzing up! That’s why I combine mine with quinoa flakes too, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, tons of nut butter…but I still use water! O and I always add chocolate mint stevia syrup 😛 Crazy flavor combos, but always delicious!
No, indeed! 😉 Those combos sound delicious!
We were on the same wave length again, my friend! I’ve made banana chocolate chip cookies with quick oats, but no peanut butter and they’re not vegan nor g.f. (they will be posted in few days). Love these breakfast bars, that taste like cookies and my kind of breakfast 🙂 . Pinned! Have a great week!
That’s how we know we’re friends! 😉 I can’t wait to see your gorgeous banana cookies! 🙂 Have a fantastic week, Nicoletta!
These bars are basically a combination of all my favorite foods. Definitely, definitely need these in my life! 🙂
I was all over on these beauties from the minute I read that title, but the “FREE from water” part really sealed the deal! It can be so tricky finding a granola bar without water these days???? Forget gluten free, this is the important stuff peeps???? Chocolate, peanut butter, oats–that’s 3 giant yeses from me???????????? And I think you could make a BA airline pilot, you redirected my attention from one favorite food to another like a boss! How lucky am I that my mom always made the oatmeal with milk, so I didn’t have those repulsive mushy oat memories to overcome???? You and oats have come a long way though, I’m proud. If only every child could start their oat-y journey with these than everyone would be a fan???? Oh yeah, PB train ticket for me please???? And if there’s an AB train I’ll go ahead and buy one for it too, I can’t pick between them. But if ever Erik changes his mind again, feel free to ship ALL his peanut butter oatmeal bars my way. You have an incredible knack for combing the best stuff into even better stuff with every single recipe???? Oh boy, I better quit writing now. In short: WANT❤️❤️ P.S. Now I am anxiously waiting to see coconut flour show up around here????
FREE from water is totally the BEST part. Lolol. Oh stop it!! Hahahaha. You are SO lucky! Oatmeal with water is decidedly unpleasant. I will so ship these to you–forget about Erik! 😉 Coconut flour: go ahead and wait a bit more… Lolol. We’ll see. Wish me luck! Muah! xoxo
I have absolutely no shame eating peanut butter (or nutella, cookie butter, and almond butter) from the jar! It’s one of my many weaknesses, but it’s just too good not too! And yay for lots of peanut butter! These bars look absolutely gorgeous, Demeter! Anything that tastes like dessert for breakfast is a winner in my book. And such gorgeous pictures, too! Pinned, of course! Hope you have a fantastic weekend!
It’s one of the BEST things ever!! How’d I know you’d feel the same way? 🙂 Probably why we’re friends! Thank you so much Gayle, for your sweet words. Have a wonderful weekend!
How’d you know I was high-fiving you?! Oh yessss…Peanut butter? Oatmeal? In the form of a breakfast bar? I’m in! You sure have peanut butter’s number! Hmmmm – favorite breakfast? This is a tough one… It so depends on my mood but I’ll have to go with savory…something that includes eggs and butter and Italian toast and hot peppers….oh my…but other days? More sweet – like these fabulous bars!! Have a beautiful weekend, my friend! 🙂
I just had a feeling… 😉 I have PB’s number and I’m NEVER gonna let it goooooo! Haha. Oh my gosh, your fave breakfast sounds so tasty! I could totally use some Italian toast with hot peppers right now! Have a great one, Annie! Muah! xoxo
I think these are the perfect back to school bar…..or cookie 🙂 Of course, you don’t have to be going to school to love these!
Thanks so much Kathy! 🙂 Yep, these are perfect for us past-schooling adults too! 😉
Do you have nutrition info for these? Look awesome!
Thx!
D
Hi Dudley! I don’t have the nutritional info for these bars, but you can calculate it here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator Hope this helps! 🙂
Thats a cool link, thx! Unfortunately working this wend so no time to fill in formulas. Thx for reply.
No problem! 🙂
I’m wondering if you might have a recommendation for a coconut flake substitute. While your recipe is largely allergy friendly, I’m unfortunately allergic to coconut. Any thoughts? I’m worried adding a 1:1 substitution of oars will make the bars too dry and crumbly. Thanks in advance for your advice!
Hi Emily, I’m so sorry to hear that! For the 1/3 cup of coconut, you could try substituting a combination of very finely chopped nuts and mini chocolate chips (that equal to 1/3 cup). You can play around that amount until you get the texture you enjoy! Hope this helps! 🙂
I was looking something quick and nutrishious for my son to grab in the morning on his way out the door in the morning. He would get slugish mid morning. These did the trick and he loved them. Then I decided to get creative with this wonderful recipe. I added a heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder, a tabespoon of Macca powder and a tablespoon of vegetable protein powder. Added a bit of lite coconut milk to soften the consistency. Slam dunk! They stayed soft and full of flavor! An awesome breakfast for people on the go!
Beverly, I’m so happy that you and your son enjoyed this recipe! There’s nothing quite like a good, hearty snack to help keep you going in the morning. 🙂 And honestly, I’m getting so hungry just thinking about your creative additions! It was genius to add in that lite coconut milk to balance out the powders. Thank you for telling me about your wonderful kitchen adventures! 🙂 Here’s to many more!
I’m laughing at your question about morning routines because I’m not sure my normal routine would be considered fun for most people! I spend the first hour of my day, from 5-6am listening to an audiobook and doing housework. Having a good audiobook is motivating, and spending an hour a day keeping up with mundane tasks saves me from dealing with 7 hours of accumulated tasks! But – the real reason I wanted to leave this comment is to tell you thank you for this recipe. I love having healthy, homemade things on hand for my teenagers to grab as they head out the door in the morning and this SO fits the bill.
Your morning routine is definitely one I’ve never heard of! Lol. But it actually sounds pretty cool! Such a great way to get caught up on household tasks in manageable chunks of time. 🙂 Thank you for your sweet comment. Can’t wait to hear what you and your family think of this recipe. 🙂
I’m not vegan, so how many regular eggs would I use instead?
Hi Joy, the regular eggs should work just fine! Can’t wait to hear what you think. 🙂
Making these today! Thank you so much for such a delicious beautiful recipe. 🙂
You’re so sweet, Emily! 🙂 I hope you just love them. 🙂
Could regular eggs be used instead? If so would it be 2 eggs?
Hi Candy, 2 eggs should work just fine. 🙂 Happy baking! 🙂
We made the bars and my kids love it. You mak a lot of chocolate things where do you get your dairy free choc chips? I’m assuming you buy them in bulk.
Hi Katie, I’m so happy that you and your family enjoyed these bars! 🙂 I certainly do! Haha. I actually have yet to find a place where I can buy dairy free chips I like in bulk. I usually just wait for a sale at my local grocery store, and I’ve been trying every dairy free brand I find! Let me know if you have a favorite–I’d love to try it! P.S. I know that you can buy Enjoy Life and a few other DF brands in bulk online. 😉
For the amount of the batter, 16 bars seems like a stretch. It seems it will make 12 at the most. Unless 16 bars was how many it made for a double recipe. I don’t know.
Hi Olivia, that’s just how I like to cut them! I haven’t had any complaints so far. 😉 You can definitely slice these bars into 12 or 9 squares–whatever you’re most comfortable with. Happy baking!
Do you think I could substitute chia seeds for the ground flax seeds? Wondering if anyone had tried that with this recipe and if I’d use the same amount of water and chia seeds.
Hi Kyra, you sure can! Each chia “egg” uses the same amount of liquid. So for this recipe, you’d make two chia eggs. This equals 2 tablespoons ground chia seeds + 6 tablespoons water. Enjoy!
Just finished baking these and they turned out sooo good! I had to use processed peanut butter and needed to add a little extra liquid to the batter to make it wet enough. They have a great texture coming right out of the oven!
Awesome, Kat! Good idea to add in that extra liquid. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know how these turned out. 🙂
These are amazing!! Just made them for the first time and immediately are 1/4 of the pan 😉
I’m usually not a huge fan of oatmeal bars, because the texture reminds me too much of a bowl of oatmeal, but these were much more like a cookie. I also love the combination of oats, coconut, chocolate, and walnuts.
Thank you!!
Hi Heather! Woohoo!! That’s wonderful to hear. 🙂 You know what? I totally did not want these breakfast bars to taste ANYTHING like a bowl of oatmeal. Haha. Who needs that when you can basically have a cookie in the morning? 😉 So happy you enjoyed the texture and the combo of add-ins. Thank you for taking the time to tell me how much you liked these. Happy baking!
Hi, I really want to make these but my family can’t have coconut. Any substitutions or can I just skip that ingredient?
Hi Jenn, you can try subbing the coconut flakes with more add-ins and/or rolled oats. The texture will be a bit different, but still tasty. 😉 To sub the coconut oil, use melted vegan butter. Enjoy!
I love the idea of these bars. I have been looking for something to make my husband for breakfast because he refuses to sit down and eat it. however he refuses to sit and eat. I am just not too crazy about coconut. is it a must have for this recipe or can I leave it out or substitute it?
I apologize you already responded to this comment
Hi Zoi, you can try adding in more oats. Try using an extra 1/4 cup oats to sub the coconut (as it’s more absorbent than coconut)– for a total of 1 cup of oats. Let me know how they turn out! 🙂