In December, I got in the habit of stopping by Costa Coffee before work and getting a chai tea and a granola bar. It was a lovely holiday treat (they had these adorable cups that looked like reindeers and elves), but it’s not a habit I can keep. It takes up too much time in the morning so I run the risk of being late. But more importantly, it’s expensive. And on that note why are granola bars so expensive? Even when you buy a box from the grocery store there are only like six in a box! I need more! I love granola for breakfast. I could eat granola for breakfast every day. So I decided to take matter into my own hands and see if could make my own breakfast bars.
I thought this would be an easy project since there are a bajillion recipes out there. But it wasn’t! I couldn’t find what I wanted, so I decided to make my own recipe. Let me tell you, I I had many failed attempts. Bars came out dry, crumbly, and bland. I made one version when I was in Connecticut and my brother asked me what it was, and I said, “I don’t know, nothing.” Finally, I’ve cracked it. My perfect granola bar is full of protein and fiber, with lots of crunchy bits, is chewy, and some sweetness.
While deciding what I wanted to make, I looked at all kinds of recipes. Some of them had what I consider scary ingredients like wheatgerm or chia seeds. I’m sure they aren’t actually scary ingredients, but I didn’t want these bars to be too out there. I wanted my bars to be fairly healthy and full of stuff, but stuff that is already in my pantry. For the crunchy bits, I stuck to oats, rice cereal, and quinoa. Enough ingredients for the bar to be hearty, but not so much that the bar is dry and weird.
But, the one ingredient I knew I wanted to use above all else was peanut butter. Peanut butter is filling, which is what I need in the morning. I hate having breakfast and then being hungry by 10:00am. I need breakfast that will carry me to 1:00pm.
And then what goes better with peanut butter than jelly? So now, I had my idea: peanut butter and jelly breakfast bars. Or, since I’m in the UK, it’s peanut butter and jam breakfast bars. Jelly is gelatin here. But I digress. PB&J is just a perfect combination that is so comforting and delicious, I could eat it at any time. I eat PB&J for breakfast when there’s nothing else in the fridge. I eat PB&J for lunch when there aren’t leftovers in the fridge. I eat PB&J for a snack. And I eat PB&J for dinner if Ryan and I don’t feel like cooking.
This is a good breakfast bar because it will tick all the boxes and satisfy your breakfast cravings. You can grab a bar and run out the door. It’s chewy so you don’t break your teeth. It’s crunchy so you feel like you’re eating something substantial. It’s got lots of protein and fiber so you’ll feel healthy and pleasantly full. And it’s got jam and honey, so there’s enough sweetness to make this a treat. So for me, problem solved. I’ve got my breakfast bar, now I’ve got to figure out how to make excellent chai tea and I can cut out the coffee shop all together.
Messy level: For a recipe that has a number of sticky ingredients (peanut butter, honey, and jelly) it is surprisingly clean to make. Everything is mixed between two bowls and then pressed firmly into a tray. It’s really very straightforward and you shouldn’t have too many dishes at the end.
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup honey
- 1½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup rice cereal
- ¼ cup quinoa
- ¼ cup roughly chopped peanuts
- ⅓-1/2 cup strawberry jelly
- Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C.
- Put the peanut butter and honey in a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir until combined into a thick, pourable sauce.
- In a large bowl, add the oats, rice cereal, quinoa, and peanuts. Mix until the ingredients are evenly mixed up.
- Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oats. Stir until everything is coated.
- Transfer ¾ of the oat mixture to the prepared pan. Use a silicon spatula and press the oats firmly into the pan. You want it to be as tight as possible!
- Spread the jelly over the oat mixture. Be as even as possible, but you don't need to be a perfectionist about it.
- Crumble the remaining ¼ of the oat mixture over the jelly. Use the silicon spatula again to press the oats into the jam. This will give you a beautiful look on the top with some jelly peaking through the granola.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- Remove from the pan, cut into bars, and serve.
