Isa’s Peanut Butter Granola Bars From Forks Over Knives Cookbook

Tonight was my second appearance at the Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center in Greenvale, New York, and I think it went well. My presentation was about healthy snacks, and I made an assortment of goodies to accompany my lecture, including Rolled Oat Banana Bites and Alicia’s Crispy Peanut Butter Treats With Chocolate Chips. I discussed many topics pertaining to plant-based nutrition such as Dr. Esselstyn’s book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, and the documentary Forks Over Knives. I also made some of Isa Chandra’s Peanut Butter Granola Bars from the Forks Over Knives Cookbook to accompany my little discussion about the movie. Isa was right when she described them as “crunchy, toasty, and full of peanut-buttery deliciousness, with just a hint of cinnamon.”

The granola bars were so easy to make. I used creamy peanut butter to prepare them, but chunky peanut butter would be great too. The recipe involved mixing some ingredients on the stovetop, and pressing the mixture into a pan lined with parchment paper to prepare for baking.

The final result was crunchy goodness!

ISA’S PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA BARS 

From Forks Over Knives The Cookbook 

Makes 8 Bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups whole rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with a 10-inch square of parchment paper.

2) In a small saucepan or saucier, mix together the peanut butter, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup. Gently heat the mixture over low heat, whisking with a fork, just until it’s warm enough for the ingredients to incorporate and become smooth.

3) Remove from heat. Let the mixture cool a bit so that it’s warm but not hot. Mix in the vanilla, then add the oats, salt, and cinnamon and mix very well.

4) Now wet your hands and press the oats into the pan. Firmly press the oat mixture into the pan, pressing on the top and packing the bars as tightly as you can. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the sides of the bars are lightly browned.

5) Remove the pan from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting up by corners of the parchment paper. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely (with the parchment underneath).

6) Use an 8-inch knife to slice the bars into eight rectangles. It’s best to press down firmly in one motion to slice, rather than using a sawing motion, which may make the bars crumble a bit. Slice once down the middle, and then 4 times across the other way.

7) Store bars in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Click here for Isa’s recipe for Better-Than-Mom’s Banana Bread from Forks Over Knives Cookbook

Click here to read about My First Appearance At The Sid Jacobson JCC

Click here to read about New Vegan Cookbooks For 2013 (Including Isa Does It)

Debby

xoxoxo