Peanut Butter Apple Snack Bars

Some snacks just fill the gap. These fill your kitchen with cinnamon and peanut butter and make you feel like you’ve got it all together, even when the laundry’s still in the washer.

They’re the perfect back-to-school mashup: a little bit granola bar, a little bit apple pie, all wrapped up in chewy oats that can handle a backpack tumble. The peanut butter keeps them soft, the apples keep them fresh, and the cinnamon makes them smell like you tried harder than you did.

You don’t need a free afternoon or a spotless kitchen — just a mixing bowl, ten minutes, and the smug knowledge that you’re about to win snack time all week. They’re flexible, too: swap the honey for maple, toss in a handful of pumpkin seeds, or drizzle chocolate on top for the kids you secretly wish you could pack a charcuterie box for.

Make them once, and they’ll become part of your Sunday routine — right next to making coffee you actually get to finish.

Peanut Butter Apple Snack Bars

School snack royalty — chewy oats, peanut butter, and honey wrapped around apple chunks and cinnamon. They’re part granola bar, part apple pie, and entirely smug-making when you pull one out at pickup like the snack whisperer you are.

Servings 12 bars

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup crisp apple finely diced (about 1 medium apple)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter natural or regular
• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Optional: 1/4 cup chopped nuts or pumpkin seeds for crunch

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment, leaving overhang for easy removal.
• In a large bowl, mix oats, diced apple, cinnamon, and salt.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm peanut butter, honey, and brown sugar until smooth and just bubbling. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oats and apples. Stir until everything is well coated.
• Press mixture firmly into the prepared pan — the tighter the press, the less crumbly the bars.
• Bake 18–20 minutes, until edges are golden and the center is set.
• Cool completely before lifting out and slicing into bars.

Notes

• Make-ahead magic: These keep in an airtight container at room temp for 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Toddler tip: Chop apples extra small for easier bites.
• Apéro energy: Swap cinnamon for pumpkin spice, and drizzle with dark chocolate once cooled.

Calories: 143kcal