Are you all cookied out? I know with the holidays we have had our fair share of sweets. However someone just reminded me about an amazing cookie recipe, it is my husband’s absolute favorite! It is pretty healthy and full of protein, so I thought it might be okay to post in the new year. This recipe was supposed to be in Give Them Something Better, there is even a picture of it in the book. But got cut at the last minute. I planned to put it in Kidlicious, but forgot, so here it is.
Peanut Butter Carob Bars
- 2 cups natural peanut butter
- 2/3 cup honey or agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup quick oats
- ½ teaspoon salt (a little more if your peanut butter is unsalted)
- 1 ½ cups carob chips, barley malt sweetened
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Prepare a 10 x 15 baking sheet by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Cream together peanut butter, honey or agave nectar, and vanilla.
4. Add salt and flour and mix.
5. Add oats last and mix well. The mixture will be thick – you will want to mix it with your hands.
6. Press peanut butter mixture evenly into prepared pan. Bake for approximately 12 minutes, watching closely so that you don’t over bake.
7. As soon as you remove from the oven, sprinkle with carob chips and return for 30 -45 seconds. Using a butter knife, start spreading the carob over the top of the hot bars. It may look like nothing is happening at first, just keep spreading. The chips will slowly melt and make a frosting layer on your bars.
8. Cool completely before cutting.
TIP: When I first started making these I had a hard time spreading the carob. The trick is to keep your carob chips at room temperature and work slowly.
