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    Bless This Mess > Recipes

    Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola Bars

    Published: Aug 30, 2013 · Modified: Oct 31, 2022 by Melissa · 42 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    chocolate peanut butter pretzel granola bars

    Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola Bars are quick, a no-bake recipe, and a sweet and salty combination that the whole family will love. Try this homemade granola bar recipe and you'll be hooked on the crunchy goodness!

    Your family will thank you for making these yummy granola bars too: Crunchy Oat and Honey Granola Bars, White Chocolate and Craisin Granola Bars and My Favorite Blueberry Pecan Granola Bar Recipe.

    chocolate peanut butter granola bars, homemade granola bar recipe


     

    Homemade Granola Bar Recipe with Salty Pretzels 

    Just few weeks ago we got home from a super fast but really fun vacation to Yellowstone. We live about 10 hours away which in all reality is pretty close. My husband and I had both never been, we were planning to visit my sister in Idaho to enjoy her new baby anyhow, and it all just seemed to work out for us to go visit that amazing park. I spent WEEKS getting ready, planning and preparing meals to stick in the freezer and crock-pot while we were there (our little cabin had electricity but no water), making snacks, and preparing to take 4 adults (2 of my younger siblings went) and 3 kids on an epic journey. I made all kinds of things and I just have to share our very favorite with you: chocolate peanut butter pretzel granola bars. This my friends is the king of all homemade granola bar recipes.

    No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola Bars

    These homemade granola bars are quick, easy, no-bake, and delicious. You seriously can't go wrong with the combo of peanut butter and chocolate with those crunchy salty pretzels thrown in. Everyone on the trip went nuts over them and I'll admit that I ate a quiet a few while I was packing them and taking pictures. They were totally addicting and the perfect sweet and salty snack. I'll be making these again!

    And here are those nummy little morsels in all of their food photography glory (just kidding... they were so hard to photograph!):

    And while I was munching on them in the car one of these walked by. Crazy!

    buffalo in yellowstone

    And then after hauling all these kiddos around. I ate another. With all the hiking and merriment the calories went right out the window if you ask me and I felt no guilt munching on one just about every time we stopped the car and I could dig into the cooler.

    packing monkeys

    And then the baby enjoyed one in the sand at Yellowstone Lake. Seriously guys, they were amazing. And so are you... thanks a bunch for reading. I sure like you.

    yellowstone lake

    Can I Cut this Granola Bar Recipe in Half?

    Of course! You can easily half this recipe and put it in an 8x8 pan if you like.

    What are Your Favorite Pretzels for this Granola Bar Recipe?

    I'm addicted to Snyder's of Hanover Butter Snap Pretzels and those are the ones shown. They are SO good in this.

    Can You Freeze Homemade Granola Bars?

    You can freeze granola bars just as you would cookies. Make sure they are stored in an airtight container or Ziploc bag to maintain optimal freshness.

    chocolate peanut butter pretzel granola bars, homemade granola bar recipe

    Video of how to make chocolate peanut butter pretzel granola bars:

    Print
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    Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola Bars


    ★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆

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    • Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess
    • Total Time: 12 minutes
    • Yield: 16-20 granola bars 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola Bars are quick, a no-bake recipe, and a sweet and salty combination that the whole family will love. Try this homemade granola bar recipe and you'll be hooked on the crunchy goodness!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • ½ cup unsalted butter
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • ½ cup honey
    • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3 ½ cups old-fashioned or quick oats
    • 1 cup crispy rice cereal
    • 2 cup chopped pretzels
    • â…” cup mini chocolate chips

    Instructions

    1. Cut out a piece of parchment paper the width of a 9x13 inch baking dish. The paper can hang over the ends and then it'll be easy to pull the goodies out of the pan to cut. Place the paper in the bottom of the dish.
    2. In a small sauce pan combine the butter, sugar, honey, peanut butter, and vanilla. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until it starts to bubble. Once it starts to bubble let the mixture cook for 2 minutes.
    3. In a large bowl combine the oats, rice cereal, and broken pretzels. After the butter mixtures' two minute cook time, pour the hot liquid over the oat mixture and stir well to combine.
    4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and press the mixture evenly into the pan. The bottom of a measuring cups works well for this. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top of the granola bars and gently press them into place. Put the pan in the fridge to cool before cutting.
    5. To cut into bars remove from the pan by pulling on the over hanging parchment paper. Place on a cutting board and cut with a sharp knife.
    6. Store in the fridge or they get too sticky. They were SO tasty cold.

    Notes

    • You can easily half this recipe and put it in an 8x8 pan if you like.
    • I'm addicted to Snyder's of Hanover Butter Snap Pretzels and those are the ones shown. They are SO good in this.
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 2 minutes
    • Category: Snack
    • Method: Stove Top
    • Cuisine: American

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 Bar
    • Calories: 438
    • Sugar: 19.5g
    • Sodium: 110.4mg
    • Fat: 15.7g
    • Carbohydrates: 68.2g
    • Protein: 11.6g
    • Cholesterol: 15.3mg

    Keywords: granola bar recipe, homemade granola bar recipe, how to make granola bars, chocolate chip granola bar recipe, peanut butter granola bar recipe

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @blessthismessblog on Instagram and hashtag it #blessthismess

    The recipes is slightly adapted from Maria over at Two Peas and Their Pod. Do you know her? She blogs up in Salt Lake and is one of the few big-time bloggers that I've met a few times in real life. She's a lot of fun and her recipes are always top-notch.

    I have a thing for homemade granola bars, here are a few more recipes you might like!

    • The Best Chocolate Chip Granola Bar Recipe
    • 8 Easy Homemade Granola Bar Recipes You Should Try TODAY (so this is a base recipe with 8 really delicious variations)
    • White Chocolate and Craisin Granola Bars
    • Homemade Cinnamon Granola Recipe
    • My Favorite Blueberry Pecan Granola Bar Recipe
    • Healthy Homemade Snack Bars Recipe
    • Crunchy Oat and Honey Granola Bars
    • Healthy Honey Coconut Granola Recipe

    These homemade granola bars are quick, easy, no-bake, and delicious. You seriously can't go wrong with the combo of peanut butter and chocolate with those crunchy salty pretzels thrown in.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Holly B.

      March 13, 2015 at 11:54 am

      These were delicious! I didn't have old fashioned oats, so I used quick oats. We also added 1 cup of chocolate chips! These were heaven! They were soft and chewy, just like I like!

      Reply
    2. Julie

      February 07, 2015 at 2:57 pm

      These are great and I have mad countless times. I always add craisins tonthem

      Reply
    3. Keelie Reason

      July 31, 2014 at 2:15 pm

      Wow, thanks so much for posting this recipe. I have just about everything in the house I need to make these. It looks like you had a really fun trip to test them out on. 🙂

      Reply
    4. Marie

      July 05, 2014 at 12:58 pm

      I usually soak my oatmeal to get rid the phylic acid - if i do that, the oats with then be wet when i mix everything together. should i- 1. let them dry a bit or 2-go less on the other "wet" ingredients?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        July 09, 2014 at 2:55 pm

        Marie... I have no idea! In my mind you should try it! But it might still be really sticky. You could always dehydrate them again? Let me know how it works!

      • marie

        July 09, 2014 at 3:04 pm

        I tried it and I wouldn't recommend! Soupy mess. But trial & error doesn't bother me. I think I shall just try it the regular way:)

    5. Leslie Grenko Sollars

      June 01, 2014 at 12:42 pm

      I have a kiddo allergic to peanut butter. If I omit the peanut butter, do you know any other adjustments I would need to make so that she can eat them too? They look really yummy & I want to try them but I need to keep her safe.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        June 02, 2014 at 6:08 am

        Leslie- Could you sub in something like almond or sunflower butter? I think omitting it all together would make them weird, but subbing it for something else would be awesome. Let me how it goes!

    6. brendadsd

      March 02, 2014 at 7:38 pm

      My son is a USMC and is on a ship at sea. I just made these to send to him. I am going to use a vacuum sealer and seal the bars individually. If they taste anything like they look or smell, he is one lucky guy. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        March 03, 2014 at 6:37 am

        You are a good Mom!!! He'll love them, but you are going to have to make a pan for yourself too 🙂 So tasty!

    7. Tamela

      February 16, 2014 at 3:30 pm

      I was wondering if you had the nutritional value for these delicious looking things??

      Reply
      • deb Newton

        May 29, 2014 at 5:49 pm

        absolutely nothing healthy in this list of ingredients, unless you count the peanut butter, and then only if it's peanuts only....

    8. Amy

      January 20, 2014 at 5:02 pm

      These are fabulous! I used Nutella and they came out great. To those of you whose bars fell apart, push those babies into that pan hard! I pushed with all my weight and really pressed them down and they are stuck together really nicely. A question I have is could I freeze these? Thanks so much.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        January 20, 2014 at 8:34 pm

        Hhmmmm. I would think so?! What do you say? I would definitely try it.

    9. Bonnie

      January 17, 2014 at 6:14 pm

      Do you think using almond butter instead of peanut butter would work?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        January 17, 2014 at 8:18 pm

        I don't know much about it, but I assume if the texture is similar to PB then it would work fine. Totally worth a try in my mind!

    10. jaye mcgrane

      January 09, 2014 at 7:49 pm

      These look very tasty! Do you think they would come out ok if you omitted the peanut butter? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Melissa

        January 09, 2014 at 7:54 pm

        Hhhmm. I'd add a few extra tablespoons of both honey and butter to make up for some of the loss of moisture and fat. I think you should try it! Let me know how it goes 🙂

    11. Amber

      January 07, 2014 at 1:10 pm

      Holy snap! Best granola bars ever! These could be dessert!

      Reply
      • Melissa

        January 07, 2014 at 8:00 pm

        Amen to that.

    12. Jennifer

      October 27, 2013 at 3:14 pm

      So good! I've made these multiple times 🙂 the kids love them and ask for them over the store bought ones! (Which was my goal) That's what I'm talking about!!! Yumo 😀 and healthier too!!!!

      Reply
    13. slava

      September 28, 2013 at 6:33 am

      They look delish! I am curious how to pack them for school if they get sticky?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        September 28, 2013 at 7:04 pm

        They aren't super sticky but I would wrap them individually in wax paper and twist the ends shut like a giant piece of candy... that would work great!

    14. stephaniefromthehouseonhillbrook

      September 14, 2013 at 3:31 pm

      I made these earlier this morning and left them in the fridge for awhile. They're delicious but their falling apart. Any advice to make them harder?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        September 15, 2013 at 1:00 pm

        You might have just had dry ingredients that were more dry or pretzels that wanted to soak up more goodness. I say add a bit more honey and peanut butter for the next batch so that there is more liquid. That's annoying but man, they still taste good don't they?!

    15. Chris

      September 09, 2013 at 8:22 pm

      Made them tonight I added a little bit of flax to mine. They are d-licious! I don't think I packed them well enough. Some of mine crumbled apart.

      Reply
      • Chris

        September 15, 2013 at 2:03 pm

        I just made another batch the other ones went quick! Fingers crossed they don't crumble as bad this time:)

      • Jamie

        February 21, 2014 at 9:57 am

        Mine crumbled until I left them in the fridge overnight. They the held together just fine. I'm hoping I can make them again, but with less sugar. They were too sweet for me.

      • Melissa

        February 21, 2014 at 4:18 pm

        They were really sweet huh... almost desserty! You'll have to let me know how that less sugar goes so that I can try it too!

    16. CJ

      August 31, 2013 at 3:20 pm

      How did the prego momma end up with the near 4 year old on her back while the strong hubby take the featherweight 2 year old? 🙂

      Reply
    17. Shannon

      August 30, 2013 at 8:22 pm

      Looks so good! I am going to have to make this recipe!!!

      Reply
    18. Aimee @ ShugarySweets

      August 30, 2013 at 10:44 am

      ha! We were at Yellowstone earlier this month! So pretty up there 🙂
      Love these granola bars, thanks for the shout out!

      Reply
      • Melissa

        August 31, 2013 at 8:36 am

        So glad to include you in the post 🙂 Love your site!

    19. Stephanie Cooper

      August 30, 2013 at 10:35 am

      Oh gosh! Those look so good!!

      Reply
    20. Chrissi

      August 30, 2013 at 10:32 am

      These look absolutely delicious- I will definitely try making them! And thank you so much for having a granola bar recipe with no coconut... I can't stand coconut, and it seems like most granola bars have some coconut thrown in... boo.

      Reply
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