The Peanut Butter Crisp Bars This Healthy Food Blogger Can’t Stop Making

Photograph courtesy Erin Morrissey.

Look, I get it, some of you aren’t “chocolate-and-peanut-butter people.” That’s fine. We don’t all have to be friends.

But for the rest of you, you know the struggle: There’s nothing you crave more than a Reese’s, though honestly any combination of chocolate and peanut butter will do. If that’s the case for you, then I give you a new healthy-ish dessert to try — I call it a “dessert” because it’s got plenty of sugar and fat, and “healthy-ish” because it’s made whole, recognizable ingredients.

This particular dessert was created by Erin Morrissey, the Philly-based healthy food blogger behind Erin Lives Whole. While she is the brain behind all kinds of mouth-watering treats and dishes — just look at her Instagram if you want to get really hungry really fast — she says that these bars (inspired by another healthy recipe blog, The Toasted Pine Nut) are the best thing she’s ever made.

Made with puffed quinoa, these bars are like the peanut butter rice crispy bars of your youth, but with more grown-up ingredients. I mean, they’ve got quinoa and dates and coconut oil in them — these are serious, adult, mature bars, ya hear?

Photograph courtesy Erin Morrissey.

If you’re ready to try them for yourself, follow Morrissey’s steps below.

INGREDIENTS
Bars
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup dates
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1-2 Tbsp water
1 cup puffed quinoa

Peanut butter filling
1/2 cup natural pb
2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
2 Tbsp maple syrup

Chocolate layer
1 cup chocolate, melted with 1 tsp coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a food processor, blend rolled oats until they form a very fine, flour consistency.
2. Add in dates, peanut butter, and honey, and process until fully blended.
3. Add in 1-2 tablespoons of water as needed to get the ingredients moving, scraping down sides as needed.
4. Pour into a bowl and add in the puffed quinoa. Stir until fully combined.
5. Flatten into brownie pan (or bread pan, depending on desired thickness). Place in freezer for 15 minutes.
6. In a saucepan, combine peanut butter filling ingredients over low heat.
7. Spread evenly over quinoa base. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
8. Cover with melted chocolate and put back in freezer.
9. Store in freezer.

And now all that’s left to do is cut these bad boys into bars and enjoy! Alternatively, you can make the same recipe, and roll them into bite-size balls. Yum.

Photograph courtesy Erin Morrissey.

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