I made these bars in 3 minutes flat. They are going to become a new staple. Fast, easy, simple, portable, and kid-approved. And mommy-approved. And they contain chocolate and peanut butter. I mean, what’s not to love?
Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter & Oat Snack Bars
2 Tbsp Chocolate Chips
2 to 3 Tbsp Peanut Butter (or other nut butter)
2 Tbsp Milk (or nut milk) (I used vanilla coffee creamer!)
1/2 C Oats
Optional:
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Sweetener (Brown/White Sugar, Agave, Maple Syrup or Stevia to Taste)
1 Tbsp Other Dry Ingredients (coconut flakes, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts, more chocolate chips, raisins, scoop of protein powder, etc.)
Directions:
Melt the first three ingredients together in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring and checking
Then add the Oats and any optional ingredients, stir to combine. (You want this mixture to be fairly dry. If it’s not dry enough, add more oats one tablespoon at a time)
Press mixture into bars or balls. Using a piece of plastic wrap on the inside of a square plastic container will save on dishes and cleanup.
Put in refrigerator or freezer for 10 minutes, or until bars have set up. Slice or break apart.
Yields 3 Larabar-sized bars that are also vegan and gluten-free.
Did you notice that snazzy Print This widget feature? Thanks Christine for the tip off on that one.
Here’s how things went down. Visually speaking.
Add the Chips + PB + Milk and then Nuke
Then add the Oats and other Optionals
Press it into a plastic container or bowl, then freeze or refrigerate til set up. Using plastic wrap saves on mess because you can just lift the whole thing out. Messy cook anyone?
Yields 3 Bars. I don’t always need a dozen, or more, bars. Sometimes just a few is all I want or need.
The inside is perfectly chocolately and peanut buttery. The peanut butter and oats keep them chewy, and the chocolate keeps them…Mmmm!
Definitely Kiddie Approved.
Wrap any extras in plastic and take for an on-the-go snack. That is, if you have any ‘leftovers’ from the yield of 3 bars.
Related Foods/Snacks that are No-Bake/Micro/Freezer type recipes:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Coconut Oil Protein Bars (Vegan, GF, No-Bake)
Biggie Microwave Banana Oat Cakes
Microwave Blueberry Banana Oat Cakes
I also have an Oats Recipes Post that highlights many of my oat-containing recipes.
From my last post about the Challenge: In 10 Years, it was amazing reading where you all think you’re going to be in 10 years! Wow. Thank you for gracing me with your stories, dreams, goals, aspirations, and honesty. I really loved reading those comments and I’m glad you enjoyed my thoughts about where I’ll be in 10 years and what I’ll be doing.
And yes, it’s so hard to predict life and the changes, twists and turns it will take. Most of you told me you are amazed the way your life has unfolded and the life path you’re walking, living, and breathing right now.
Questions:
1. Best thing you’ve ate or done over the weekend?
I picked up some things for Skylar’s birthday party and we spent lots of time together as a family. The weather has been great, high 60s/low 70s and sunny and we went for a few great long power walks.
2. Do you like to make your own snack bars?
Yes, see the above links. Clearly, I’m a fan.
3. What’s in your “dream” snack bar?
Mine would have to have oats, chocolate, peanut butter and from there…you can’t go wrong!
Have a great week, everyone!
{ 92 comments… read them below or add one }
OH MY GOSh! so easy. so delicious. you’ve done it again
Wow those look good!! Love your easy recipes!!
If you find yourself with a few extra of these, I’d be more than happy to send you my address…
These look super easy. Do you think a Baker’s chocolate square would work for the chocolate chips?
Yes for sure!
Food trivia…A baker’s square will melt easier (lacks the stabiliziers that chips have so will melt smoother/easier) and possibly be a darker % chocolate, but in many other ways, they are the same.
Droooooooooooooool! Those bars look scrumptious!!
I think my dream snack bar would contain Nutella and chocolate chips.
Love the Print Recipe plugin
It’s so handy!
Nutella. How could i have forgotten. Yes please!
Scrummalicious! I’m currently veganising my life and your blog inspires me! Lovin the new look! x
These remind me of these no-bake cookies my grandma used to make. Only in her version, sugar wasn’t optional.
And there was probably a lot of butter too.
I don’t know how much of that batter would make it into the microwave — it looks so delicious beforehand too! (yes, sometimes I like to eat raw oats. not a lot. just a little. or i’ll put 1/2 a spoonful in my tea. strange food confession)
Ahhh those look SO good. This reminds me that I need to make your PB protein bars again soon….they’re one of the first blogworld recipes I ever made, and Mike still talks about how good they were. PB, chocolate…the best two ingredients are covered. I’ve just been on a baking hiatus since Christmas!
Best thing from the weekend…well, since my birthday wasn’t technically on the weekend, I guess that only leaves dinner at Candle, which is fine because then I don’t have to choose between the two. You really do have to get there sometime, it’s absolutely amazing!
i was just trying to comment on your post…and I.D. is being glitchey for me but i emailed you my comment
and mike still talks about that recipe, and it being one of your 1st? awww, that’s so sweet thanks for telling me
Is it sad that microwave recipes get me so excited! I’m all about quick and easy – and healthy!
no shame girl. we are all busy and if someone wants to melt chocolate over a stovetop, they can. for me, i like the micro
I am in love with this. I have been wanting to make my own bars and this is so simple. I will definitely be making these this week. Thanks
Skylar is so stinkin cute! What a great healthy recipe. Starring this!
YUM YUM YUM!!!
I love to make my own bars! Of course I have to have oats and nut butter or honey, other ingredients vary depending on my mood. Sometimes I like chocolate if I am in a chocolate mood. If I want salty/sweet then I go with nuts/seeds and oats.
I had gumbo for lunch today, that was delish
Ahhh yummy yummy! Microwaveable = easy peasy, aka these will be a staple in my college diet next year. I think I am going to need to learn to love the microwave!
Those look wonderful!
I actually spent all morning perusing your recipes page with my boyfriend…I am seriously considering pulling a Julia and Julia and working my way through each and every one of your recipes day by day!
But for now, I’m going to make your oreo balls and coconut mint balls for our superbowl party this upcoming weekend! I don’t care about football at all so the food is what I put all of my energies into.
if you worked your way thru my recipes day by day…even if you made 10, I would be beyond flattered
going to make your oreo balls and coconut mint balls for our superbowl party = please tell me how they go over with everyone!
Your pictures seem to be especially high quality today!
thank you for noticing. I tried extra hard today
Yum!! I’m all for fast, easy treats!
OK…I’ve been following you for a couple weeks now, and I’m finally commenting. I’ve tried a few of your snacky recipes, and they’re great! This one looks awesome, and I’m definitely going to be trying it. I don’t usually have milks in the house because I don’t use them very often, so I’ll have to go get some. And chocolate chips. I love that your recipes are generally small…because I go overboard if I have too much around! Thanks!!!
you could skip the milk and add any kind of butter/fake butter you have, about 2 Tbsp worth. Even water, really, would be fine.
mmmm those bars look great! This weekend was a real nice weekend here in Austin so yesterday I played a full day of sand vb (10am-5pm
) and today I had a great run on a gorgeous trail!! My dream snack bar HAS to have Peanut Butter or any kind of Nut butter 
the rest doesn’t matter to me!
i feel like i never make my own snack bars just because i’m not really a snack bar type person! i never feel like i’m full after i eat them and by the time they’re gone i still want more haha but these are definitely a great idea for when i’m on the run with school and everything now
great recipe as always girl!
I have never made my own snack bars, but when I do I will be using one of your recipes!!!
These remind me of “no bake” cookies that are huge here in western PA. These are a lot healthier though and even look prettier.
yes i am the no bake queen.
you are the baking queen.
feel free to come out there and bake for me anytime
These look amazing, and all the amazing pics you took of them makes me want them NOW! Pics like that make me very very hungry !
Awwwwwww Skylars birthday soon! How fun! I bet she is so excited!!!
Love ya girl! xoxo Have a great Sunday night!
Those bars look SO good!!
I am so obsessed with making snack bars lately! I made some using oats and some almond pulp (a riff on your bars) the other day, but they’re almost gone, so I gotta get crackin’. Speaking of snacking, I just made a version of your seed crackers (savory), using some tamari and nooch and all chia (no flax). I don’t want to eat them all in one swoop, but they’re good! Thanks for all the inspiration!
Um, I LOVE YOU. I hope this doesn’t make things awkward between us but holey moley this is my new fave recipe. They taste like oatmeal cookies! I used butterscotch chips because that’s all I have. Looooovvvveeee.
you already made them?!? holy crap you are lighting fast and i love you even more
Hey Averie!
Those bars look and read delicious! I’m going to make them. Thanks for sharing!
The best thing I ate this weekend, well, I’m hoping it’s going to be my Caribbean-inspired 3-bean-butternut-squash-sweet-potato-stew that I invented on the spot and has been in the slow cooker all afternoon! It’s GF and almost vegan (had some chicken stock to use up, but could easily use veg stock or water).
I’ve NEVER made my own snack bars! I’ve made cookies, muffins, roasted chickpeas, granola, but never bars!
My dream bar: it MUST have chocolate and nuts (yours is really looking like a hit to me!)
xo
Sabina
Absolutely bookmarking this!! You’re a genius…and a great mommy
awww, thanks girlie…you are too kind! thanks for saying hi
Those bars will definitely be a staple for me too. I’m on a huge ‘make it in the microwave’ kick
You had me at “Three minutes”…and guess what- I’m sooo excited b/c I ran out of my store bought bars and said “I need to find a good recipe for my own”. I just made yours (tweaked of course- I added crisped rice for volume and added the chips at the end so they were whole)…I’m anxiously awaiting when I get hungry enough to eat them- thank you!
there are a hundred tweaks one can go with these but basically single serving-ish, micro, no bake, choc, PB, vegan/Gf for those that care…these win on all fronts. And yes rice krispies will give them bulk! and i was gonna suggest chips at the end too and then honestly…didnt even want to confuse ppl by taking something so simple and making it trickier. lol
Okay, those bars are calling…no, screaming, my name. I love you are your recipes Averie!!!
awww, thanks hon!
Sigh, oats, I love them but I am realizing they might not be the best for me with some health issues I have. Even the certified ones. I like to make oat bars for Chris incase he forgets to eat lunch or breakfast. Good idea. Without microwave, I’m assuming a stovetop and bake them? Yes slower but non an open fire at least.
certified GF I mean.
melt over stovetop
it seems like so much work for such a small amt of chocolate but if that’s your method, go for it.
and once melted, then just add everything else in, stir, freeze.
whether you melt the choc on the stovetop or in a microwave wouldnt effect the need to bake them. At least not for me!
Averie, you are a bar making GENIUS! I have this one printed and ready to make, of course! <3
DEEELISH!!! you have outdone yourself again averie!!! i love this simple recipe!
this weekend was camp savage all weekend and it was amazing!
love your site so much! thanks for sharing!!
Hi there. I have been attempting for the first time to eat RAW this week. I have been looking for a good blog And WOW have i found it! i LOVE your pictures and recipes and how you give the vegan and raw alternatives to the recipe. I found it by looking for a good Raw cookie dough recipe. i have not tried anything yet but am planning to try a few! Just wanted to say thank you!
Hi Averie,
Congratulations for the great good-looking snack bars and also, thank you very much for sharing this recipe, I was really interested in the recipe. When I saw the pictures, the next second I started drooling, yummy. I am going to try to cook some microwave chocolate peanut butter oat snack bars too, I really hope they will taste good and I won’t mess up everything, hehe.
Best regards,
Maria
I like bars that have peanut butter and are all-natural. Going to mark this recipe to try soon!
Thanks for sharing.
Aw, thanks for the shout out on the print feature.
The bars look wonderful and super fast and easy, awesome job! And great pictures too.
1. Watched the Sacramento Kings win a basketball game, ate out and spent time with my sisters.
2. I haven’t yet, but should, I really liked the raw dough balls I made which would also be a good portable snack.
3. Lots of chocolate, low calorie and a good crunch – that’s a streatch, I know.
Absolutely love the new design of your blog.
Great food like always!!
I just added this to my “things I need to make” page. Thanks!
Averie! This is my first time checking out your new site — it’s gorgeous!! Great job – really like how easy it is to navigate. Oh, and your pict is absolutely stunning too of course.
My sweetie will be trying these snack bars soon – YUM, FAST, and EZ, Love it! Thanks so much for sharing. Many blessings on your week. ~K
Averie – - i’ve been reading your blog since the summer. i suppose i’m what blog-people call a ‘lurker’, since i never comment, but all i can say in my defence is that i’ve always been a good listener…
but, i have to say that these bars were made INSTANTLY. i’ve made your p.b. protein bars a number of times in the past with great success, and these were no slouch, either! i augmented mine with some ground flax and a scoop of choco-protein, and liked the firmness of these compared to the protein bars… (might try and combine the two into some kind of SUPER-BAR!)
thanks for doing what you do. it’s been a pleasure watching a life well lived, and inspiring to see someone else discovering the little ways in which less can really mean (so much!) more.
You’re Chocolate Peanut Butter & Oat Snack Bars will be a huge hit with my husband. He already LOVES your No Bake Vegan PB Choc Chip Coconut Protein Bars. No need to tell him they are raw and vegan
Best thing on Sunday: snowshoeing with my hubby in the clean, clear, crisp outdoors.
Love making my own snacks. They taste better, and we get to lick the bowl
Dream bar: chocolate, nut / seed butter, chia or flax
I absolutely love the simplicity of the oatmeal bar, especially because living in a dorm room my cooking options are pretty much limited to a microwave!!
I always make my own bars! I eat them almost everyday and they’re much tastier, healthier, and cheaper than store bought! I just made these and WOW! They are fabulous. Thanks for the recipe
!
3 minutes!?!? You know how busy I am so I will def. be making those!! I made your cheesy broccoli bake tonight..it was so yummy!
GREAT bar idea, Averie! Just like hand held oats….right up my alley.
That is an excellent recipe but I cannot think of making that bar in 3 minutes.How did you do it?
I love bars and these have got to be some of the best. Great recipe and lovely photos.
Thanks
Um, so, as a college student with only a microwave readily at my disposal… I am going to HAVE to try these!
brilliant idea!
These look like a definite MUST TRY! I have all the ingredients on hand already and they look so easy and YUMMY!
awesome recipe!!!
WHERE has this post been all of my life and why have I never seen it?!?!
These are so easy…enjoy if you make them!
SO easy and SO good!!
I’m so glad I ran across them on Pinterest!
Hi Kalee! Thanks for finding me via Pinterest and sounds like you’ve made these and are enjoying…good!
I just made these and they are DELISH! Great for packing in the kid’s lunch tomorrow…
And btw, my daughter is also Averie. I LOVE the spelling! Great name! hehe
Holy moly, that was a FAST turnaround! I am so glad you made them and enjoyed them and yes, lunch boxes are begging for these.
Averie vs Avery..glad you like the way I spell it
Hi I wanted to try the Microwave Banana Oat Cakes recipe linked towards the bottom of this recipe but the link isn’t working. Is it still available anywhere??
I just went in and fixed all the links that were broken/bad. I moved my blog about a year ago, long story short, and in the process, some links became corrupt. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
So all links in this post are now working. Enjoy!
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/01/microwave-chocolate-peanut-butter-oat-snack-bars.html
Making this today!! I am sure my kids will request more. I do think it is mislabled though as being gluten free. All of my celiacs friends can’t eat oatmeal.
Oats are inherently a GF grain. Many true celiacs require specialty *certified* GF oats because traditional oats can be cross-contaminated in the milling process; but oats as a grain do not have gluten. It’s just dependent on manufacturing and production whether they are cross contaminated.
Hope you enjoy the bars!
YUM, thanks for this! I have been trying to make something with the extra fiber brown sugar oatmeal packets because my little one doesn’t like to eat oatmeals anymore and I still have a ton left! I’m going to use that in place of oatmeal and the optional sugars. Hopefully it wil turn out just as good as yours!
Hope your little one enjoys!
My bf wanted marshmallows to be added to this recipe, so I added them to the chocolate chips, peanut butter mix before putting it in the microwave. They turned out great!
Sort of like a quick ‘n easy chocolate-ized rice krispy treat but with oats not rice cereal..sounds like a winner! Thanks for LMK about your tweaks!
I found you on pinterest. These are in the freezer right now! SOOOO excited! It will totally fill my chocolate craving! Thanks so much! I will give you a shout out in my blog!
I am SO trying the chocolate/peanut butter granola bar AND the blueberry granola . . WOW!
hope you enjoy it!
Hi! I scrolled through your comments and I didn’t see this question, would you be able to approximate how many calories this portion amount is for the CPB&O bars?
You could plug the data into one of so many types of online calculators that are online and see. I’d guess 150 to 200, max, per bar but that’s a total guess. I don’t have time to do the calculator stuff on my posts; but feel free!
Thank you for being my Secret Recipe Club inspiration! This is a great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed these and that we “met” via the SRC!
These look great! And super Easy!!!
Thanks and yes they are!
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