Granola is an iconic breakfast food and it’s the main feature in this recipe, but its health value is debatable. The core ingredients of granola consist of oats, nuts, and a sweetener like honey or sugar. Depending on the variety, these foods are joined by puffed rice or other grains, dried fruit, spices, seeds, and nut butter.
These foods are good and healthy for the most part, but many brands also include sugar syrups, oils, and white or milk chocolate. This adds a lot of unhealthy elements to an otherwise nutritious snack, especially when it’s common to eat more than the standard serving size. So be sure to check the ingredients when choosing store-bought granola, or when you are perusing for a new recipe. Pro tip: Avoid buying products where sugar or any other kind of sweetener is listed among the first few ingredients.
Perhaps the best part about granola is that it can be baked into granola bars. For this recipe, we take it up a notch to make granola cups with a peanut butter filling that’s sealed with a layer of dark chocolate. They are a great quick breakfast when you can make them in advance and grab them on your way out. They also make a great snack when you need a quick burst of energy during the day and perhaps a bit of a sweet treat that will leave you feeling energized and satisfied for hours afterward.
Read: Frozen Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Banana Bites
These granola peanut butter cups require only a few all-natural ingredients, are easy to whip up, and are packed with nutrition. They are best eaten as an energizing snack as opposed to being ‘mindlessly munch on’ snack since they are relatively high in calories. Then again, we don’t recommend mindlessly munching since food is much more enjoyable and satisfying when you give it proper attention.
So pop these little cups of peanut butter deliciousness into a lunch box, keep them on hand for busy mornings, or bring them on a hike to replace the store-bought sugary and processed granola bars. It’s only a little effort for a truly scrumptious and healthier snack.
No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Cups
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups granola* (optional: see sugar-free recipe below)
- 1 cup peanuts, chopped
- 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter or almond butter**
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (add more if needed)
Filling:
- 1 cup natural peanut butter
Topping:
- 12 oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl combine the granola, chopped peanuts, peanut butter, and honey (or maple syrup). If the mixture is too dry, spoon in a little more honey until the mixture reaches a sticky consistency.
- Grease a cupcake pan and divide the granola mixture into the 12 cups.
- Press the mixture well against the sides and bottom of the pan until it holds together, and make a dent in the center of each cup for the filling.
- Freeze for 5–10 minutes, until the cups are firm.
- Melt peanut butter for the filling and pour it into the center of each granola cup, distributing the peanut butter evenly.
- Now, freeze the pan for another 5-10 minutes, until the peanut butter is firm.
- Finally, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil, and mix it together until they combine.
- Spoon the melted chocolate on top of the peanut butter filling.
- Chill the pan until chocolate has set.
- Store the granola cup in the fridge in an air-tight container, or freeze for longer storage time.
*To reduce the sugar in this recipe, try making your own delicious and sugar-free granola:
**Note: If you’re looking to avoid peanuts feel free to substitute both the peanuts and peanut butter in this recipe with any nut or seed you’d like.
Ingredients
- 2 cup oats, dry
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/4 cup almonds, sliced
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large egg whites
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, seeds, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Fold the egg whites into the dry oat mixture. Stir gently until the dry mixture is coated.
- Turn the oat and egg white mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container for 1–2 weeks or use in the above recipe as directed.