peanut butter chocolate breakfast

Ok everyone, it’s official: fall has arrived.

Not only is it fabulous news that summer is over, here in the South it is officially 70 degrees at night and our formerly green leaves are fading into a light shade of orange. However, if someone could please share this news with the mosquitos that continue to bite the tops of my feet and, at a football game last week, MY FACE, that would be awesome.

I don’t know about you, but not only does the greenery shift in fall, so does my schedule. Weekends are quickly filled with out-of-town football games and outdoor fun aimed to take advantage of every bit of beautiful sunshine you can; week days are just as packed with work and church/friend/family commitments. It’s become a season of lots going on but even more to enjoy.

And during such a busy time, everyone needs a good snack. That brings me to this week’s recipe- peanut butter chocolate energy bars. If you have spent any amount of time on Luv Cooks you are probably very familiar with my love of peanut butter and chocolate (see dark chocolate s’mores with salted peanut butter and peanut butter chocolate crunch granola).

When I came across the no bake energy bites on Gimme Some Oven‘s blog, I was immediately intrigued. Ali is so, so good at creating easy-to-make, easy-to-share recipes with friends and family. This one in particular caught my attention not only because it was a healthy way to incorporate more peanut butter and chocolate into my life, but also because it was just the snack I was looking for amidst all I/everyone has going on. And the toasted coconut stirred throughout brings the creamy, nutty flavors up a notch.

Here is my spin on her version; for me, bars make for a heartier serving, which equals a breakfast item on the go. And as a side note, I have a new peanut butter I love; I used it for these bars and it’s delicious. So enjoy the beginning of your fall season, and not to worry- peanut butter and chocolate energy is on it’s way.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Energy Bars (From the No Bake Energy Bites recipe at Gimme Some Oven)

What You Will Need

2/3 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 cup oats (I like Bob’s Red Mill old fashioned oats)
1/2 cup golden flaxseed meal
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I like Whole Foods’ dark chocolate chunks); you could substitute dried fruit here too
1 tsp vanilla extract
cooking spray

What You Will Do

1. Add coconut to a large skillet, then turn your burner on medium heat. Stir the coconut constantly with a wooden spoon until the it smells toasty and turns lightly golden. Make sure you watch this because it can burn quickly! Once toasted, transfer the coconut to a plate and let it cool.

2. Grease an 8 by 8 inch glass pan with cooking spray.

2. Next, spray a 1/2 and 1/3 cup measuring cup with cooking spray. Measure the peanut butter and honey into the cups, then add the pb and honey to a large mixing bowl. Add the cooled coconut flakes, oats, flaxseed meal, dark chocolate chips, and vanilla and mix until combined.

3. Using your spoon, pour your mixture into the greased pan. Press it gently with a spatula or your hands to form an even square (making sure to push the mixture into the edges) in the pan.

4. Chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge, then use a sharp knife to cut into whatever size bars you desire. Enjoy!

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day!

For a blog devoted to luv, it is bit embarrassing that I missed the February 14 deadline for this recipe.

To be fair, the treat I planned to debut was a bit of a sweet-potato-biscuit disaster. Marshmallows melted with chocolate do not become marshmallow fluff, they become liquid Tootsie-Roll, and my gluten-free heart-shaped peanut butter cookies were a bit ambitious.

But, hope springs! And, if you are like me, and may have eaten one too many sugary hearts, truffles, cereals, cupcakes, and donuts this week, then this recipe might be a nice change of pace.

Plus, when it comes to nutty-sweet combinations, peanut butter and chocolate wins. If chocolate combinations competed in a doubles tournament, pb+c would serve aces every time, win the trophy, and do a fantastic victory dance over the net. Strawberry-and-chocolate, vanilla-and-chocolate, banana-and-chocolate: no competition. Peanut butter and chocolate’s flavor profile is simply complimentary; rich whipped peanuts and sweet, dense chocolate: perfect. This is why the following confession is a bit embarrassing.

I have never posted a peanut-butter chocolate recipe on this blog.

I know, I know. I talk a mean game, but have yet to deliver. Maybe I have been waiting for the right recipe, maybe I was caught off guard by how dependable and delicious this recipe is-maybe I was afraid to commit to the first posting. But you know something good when you find it, and I can’t think of a better way to start a day than with a perfect pair for breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Granola

*This recipe has been adapted from Allrecipes.com version

What You Need:

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I like Saigon Cinnamon, it has a kick to it)

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups uncooked rolled oats

1 cup dry-roasted, salted peanuts

1 bar semisweet chocolate

What You Will Do

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a small saucepan, combine peanut butter, honey, agave, cinnamon, and vanilla, over medium heat, and stir until smooth.
Place oats and peanuts in a large, shallow roasting pan or a 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan. Pour warm peanut butter honey/agave mixture over the oats and peanuts and stir gently until oats are coated. Spread evenly in the pan.
Bake, taking the oats out of the oven every 10-15 minutes, stirring to make sure they are evenly cooked. I did mine in two rounds of 15 minutes, then baked them for about 8 minutes more. Just make sure your oats are golden and a bit crunchy; you don’t want to burn the edges of the granola, or the peanuts.
Burned peanuts are not delicious.
Once the granola is done, put your cookie sheet on a baking rack to cool for about 15 minutes.
While your granola cools a bit, use a vegetable peeler to peel half of your chocolate bar into small curls. Once you have passed the 15 minute mark, sprinkle the chocolate curls over the granola and stir to combine, making sure you coat all of the oats with the chocolate.
Let the granola cool for about an hour, then chop the other half of your chocolate bar into small chunks. Sprinkle the chunks over your granola, and mix to combine.
This makes a large batch, so you could easily feed an entire tennis team with it, or two large families, or yourself, if all you had to eat was this for a week.