Just 4 ingredients are needed to make these peanut butter bars; natural peanut butter, oats, and honey. These no-bake bars are topped with a light cream cheese and honey frosting. They're a healthier version of traditional peanut butter bars and this small batch recipe can be ready in minutes!
Peanut butter bars make a delicious treat that can be enjoyed anytime. This small batch recipe features a crust made of oats, peanut butter, and honey. The middle layer is made with peanut butter, honey, and oat flour. We top the bars with a simple cream cheese frosting sweetened with honey.
Why This Recipe Works
- These bars are a healthier option than traditional peanut butter bars.
- These healthy peanut butter bars are easy to make.
- Make vegan peanut butter bars by using maple syrup or agave syrup instead of honey and making a chocolate drizzle by melting vegan chocolate chips.
RELATED: Cooking For One - Tips To Eat Healthy And Save Money
Ingredients and Substitutions
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
- Oats: I recommend using old-fashioned rolled oats but you can use quick oats if that's what you have available to you. Oats are used in the crust and in the filling.
- Peanut butter: Use natural peanut butter.
- Honey: You can use maple syrup instead.
- Cream cheese: 2-ounces of softened cream cheese is mixed with honey (or maple syrup) to make the topping.
How To Make Oat Flour
Oat flour is a nutritious whole-grain flour that's easy to make out of oats. Oat flour is gluten-free if you make it with certified gluten-free oats.
Making oat flour is so easy! Just place the oats in a food processor or a blender and pulse or blend to ground to a powdery, flour-like consistency. 1 cup of rolled oats will make about a cup of oat flour. Transfer remaining oat flour to a zip-topped bag or airtight container to use later.
Oat flour can be used instead of bread crumbs in recipes like meatloaf, meatballs, and chicken tenders
How To Make This Recipe
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Start by making the crust: In a large bowl, mix together the oats, peanut butter and honey. Press the mixture into the bottom of a small 5x5-inch baking dish or use a dish of similar size.
- Make the filling: In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, honey and oat flour. Spoon over the crust. Set aside.
- Make the topping: Blend together the cream cheese and honey with either a fork or a hand mixer. Spread over the peanut butter filling.
- Chill: Cover and place the bars in the refrigerator to chill so that the bars are easier to slice.
RELATED: 15 Easy Single Serving Dessert Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
The dish you use when making these peanut butter bars matters. We recommend using either a 5x5-inch baking dish which has a base area of 25 square inches, a 5x7-inch baking dish with a base area of 35 square inches, a 4x6-inch baking dish that has a base area of 24 square inches, a 6x6-inch dish with a base area of 36-square inches, a 6-inch round cake pan that has a base area of approximately 28 square inches, or 2 (10-ounce) ramekins which each have a base area of 12.5 square inches.
Store in the fridge for up to two weeks. These bars also freeze well and will keep for up to 3 months.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this healthy peanut butter bars recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Oats: Baked Oatmeal, Oatmeal Cookies, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
- Honey: Turmeric Ginger Tea, Fruit Quesadilla, Mango Sorbet
- Cream cheese: Mini Red Velvet Cake, Spinach Turkey Wrap, Mini Hummingbird Cake
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
If you’ve tried these healthy small batch peanut butter bars or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Small Batch Peanut Butter Bars
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
- 5x5-inch baking dish
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST
- ¾ cup old fashioned oats
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter
- ¼ cup honey
FOR THE FILLING
- ½ cup natural peanut butter
- ¼ cup honey
- 6 tablespoons oat flour *See Notes
FOR THE TOPPING
- 2 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 2 tablespoons honey (Add more honey if you want the topping to be sweeter)
Instructions
TO MAKE THE CRUST
- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, peanut butter and honey. Press the mixture into the bottom of a small 5-inch or similar sized dish. Set aside.
TO MAKE THE FILLING
- In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, honey and oat flour. Spoon over the crust. Set aside.
TO MAKE THE TOPPING
- Blend together the cream cheese and honey with either a fork or a hand mixer. Spread over the peanut butter filling.
- Refrigerate to chill.
Notes
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Debby says
Do you have to make the oat flour? I have a bag of oat flour, so could I use that?
Joanie Zisk says
You do not have to make the oat flour if you have a bag already.
By says
Can you use regular peanut butter instead of natural?
Joanie Zisk says
I think you probably could, although I haven't tried it. If you do, please let me know how they turn out.
Joanie
Dana DeVolk says
These were so good, the frosting is a must-make! I can use it on all sorts of desserts. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Jenn says
I'm seriously loving all your small batch recipes!!! These peanut butter bars are the perfect amount for my husband and I and look so so tasty!