Crunchy Granola Bites {Honey-Sweetened, No Bake}
These healthy-ish crunchy granola bites are lightly sweetened with honey and filled with good things. They're just sweet enough to satisfy a sweet tooth without overpowering the salty side of the spectrum. They really are the perfect snack/ wholesome treat. Also included are instructions for making them gluten free plus a nutella variation we love.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (10 ounces) natural peanut butter see note
- ½ cup (6 ounces) honey
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (1.7 ounces) coconut oil see note
- 2 cups (6.3 ounces) quick oats see note
- 1 cup (5 ounces) ground flaxseed I prefer golden flaxseed
- 1 cup (1.2 ounces) crispy rice cereal like Rice Krispies
- ¾ cup (4.5 ounces) mini chocolate chips
Instructions
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In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, honey, vanilla, and coconut oil until well combined. Then add quick oats and ground flax seed and mix. Finally add the crispy rice cereal and mini chocolate chips and mix (gently so the cereal doesn't get crushed) until well-combined.
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Measure or estimate 1 ½ tablespoon portions, then roll between palms, and place onto a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet. I use a #40 cookie scoop and then roll the scooped portion into a ball using my palms.
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Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours on baking sheet. Then store in a sealed container (a large tupperware-type container or ziploc bag) in the refrigerator or freezer. They will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for a few months.
Recipe Notes
1. For this recipe I use all natural peanut butter that I grind fresh from peanuts (with nothing added). You can buy this kind of peanut butter in bulk from most health food-type stores. It will work just fine with regular peanut butter too.
2. Nutella variation: In place of the 1 cup of peanut butter, use ½ cup nutella + ½ cup peanut butter (or 5 ounces of each). The granola bites will be slightly sweeter using nutella so I normally cut down the honey a little bit too (around 5 ounces is perfect or right between ⅓ cup and ½ cup).
3. I use organic cold pressed and unrefined coconut oil (Aunt Patty's brand on Amazon, aff link) in this recipe. You can use any type of coconut oil, but the unrefined type has just a slight coconut flavor that I love.
4. I've never tried this recipe with regular oats, but if that is all you have, you can probably use them after they've been pulsed a few times in a food processor a blender to break them down just a bit.