Why It Works
- Melted marshmallows provide gelatin, which sets again once the bars cool, resulting in a chewy, cohesive oat bar.
- Chopped peanuts and peanut butter keep the oat bars from being overly sweet while adding firmness and texture.
- Cooling the oat mixture before pressing in the chocolate chips preserves the chocolate’s temper, which keeps the chips from melting.
Chewy oatmeal bars are one of my favorite go-to travel snack foods, especially when faced with budget airlines that don’t feed you for free and also don’t want you to bring your own stash. Regardless, I try to pop something sort of healthy and hearty (and easy to scarf down on the sly) in my bag before I hop on the plane. I’ve tried twice to make the chewy variety of these bars at home, but I gave up. Nothing worked to make them significantly chewy while keeping them together. I have come to terms with the fact that using all from-scratch ingredients will not get you that really chewy texture that you expect.
Then I got to thinking: The manufacturers are probably not baking their bars. So, what no-bake cookie could give me an amazingly chewy consistency? Rice Krispies treats. Which means marshmallow. It made perfect sense that stretchy gelatin would hold everything together.
I took a look at a basic recipe for Rice Krispies treats, then played around with the ingredients to get the right consistency. Since the oats are not baked, I used quick-cooking oats and toasted them in a skillet first. The most frustrating part was flavoring the bars, as I wanted them more like an oat bar than a marshmallow. Adding lots of honey made the bars way too soft. Peanut butter to the rescue! A little bit of honey, some thick peanut butter, and chopped peanuts did the trick to mask the marshmallow. Toss in a handful of chocolate chips and just press them into the pan. Easy, chewy, and chocolaty.
Serious Eats / Deli Studios
February 2013
How I Turned a Childhood Classic Into the Ultimate No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars
Cook Mode
(Keep screen awake)
312 g quick-cooking oats (11 1/4 ounces; 3 1/2 cups)
28 g unsalted butter (1 ounce; 2 tablespoons), plus more for greasing
51 g creamy unsalted peanut butter (1 3/4 ounces; 3 tablespoons), see notes
84 g honey (about 3 ounces; 1/4 cup)
198 g (7 ounces) marshmallows (about 28 pieces)
1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
71 g chopped roasted, unsalted peanuts (2 1/2 ounces; 1/2 cup), see notes
128 g semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (4 1/2 ounces; 3/4 cup)
Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with 8-inch-wide strips of parchment paper or foil so that all sides are covered with a 1-inch overhang on all sides. Lightly grease with butter; set aside.
Serious Eats / Deli Studios
In a large cast iron, carbon steel, or nonstick skillet, toast oats over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool slightly.
Serious Eats / Deli Studios
In a large saucepan, melt butter, peanut butter, honey, and marshmallows over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted, about 5 minutes. Add honey, salt, and vanilla, stirring to incorporate. Add oats and stir to combine.
Serious Eats / Deli Studios
Using a flexible spatula, scrape mixture into a large bowl. Let cool slightly, about 3 minutes, then fold in peanuts and chocolate chips. Scrape mixture into prepared baking pan. Spread into an even layer, then use a flat-bottomed drinking glass or measuring cup to compress firmly until oat mixture is in a compact, even layer across bottom and sides of pan. Let sit until firm, about 8 hours.
Serious Eats / Deli Studios
Lift foil overhang to remove bars onto cutting board. Using a sharp knife, portion oat bars into 12 squares.
Serious Eats / Deli Studios
Special Equipment
8-by-8-inch baking pan; parchment paper; foil, cast iron, carbon steel, or nonstick skillet
Notes
The peanut butter and peanuts can be omitted if desired. Other nuts and nut butters can be substituted, if desired.
The chocolate chips are added once the mixture has slightly cooled to prevent the chocolate from melting.
