Vanilla Espresso Granola Bars

Happy Hump Day, everyone! Who here needs a midweek pick-me-up? I’m raising my hand FOR SURE. I’m so excited about the blog post today…seriously – Vanilla Espresso combined with granola – does life get more delicious?! Megan from Soup of The Day was kind enough to share this yummy recipe for her homemade Vanilla Espresso Granola Bars that are both easy and delicious, so without further ado – here’s how to whip them up in your own kitchen!

Vanilla Espresso Granola Bars

Do you have those weeks when you just want to clean out your pantry? You map meals for the week around the items that have been pushed to the back of each shelf and need to be used up? This past weekend I did just that- got on my step ladder and looked at the very top of each cabinet to see what I had forgotten about! Cans of red beans (hello Pasta Fagioli soup), boxes of pasta (that will never go bad thank goodness) and a half filled container of Quick 1 Minute Oats were lurking on that top shelf.

I’m assuming I bought the oats for overnight oats at one point in time but I wanted to use them up and decided to make granola bars! I am a snacker and need healthier options during the week for in between meals so off I went back in the cabinet rummaging for the rest of the ingredients.

My favorite part of this particular recipe was the almond butter. You can use any almond butter or peanut butter but I’ve been a big fan of Wild Friends after my friend Katie introduced me to the brand. I have two jars in my kitchen at all times and love to spread them on whole wheat bagels, English muffins and on sandwiches. I used my Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter for this recipe and it was SO STINKIN’ GOOD! (side note from Kait: this value pack has Gingerbread, Pumpkin Spice + Sugar Cookie all-natural peanut butter and I’m salivating!)

 The best part of this recipe is that you can mix and match ingredients to your liking. Add a little more cinnamon or less. Use peanut butter or almond butter. Swap out the chocolate chips for any chopped nut that you like. Also you can double or quadruple the recipe to make the amount you want!

I love an easy and quick recipe too, especially on Sunday when I’m meal prepping for the rest of the week. It took me about 10 minutes to whip this up and then I popped the pan in the freezer and worked on other things for an hour while it set. That’s a recipe I can get behind!

I hope you try this out for yourself and let me know how you like it! Also, let me know if you make any changes that turned out deliciously.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Quick 1 Minute Oats

1 cup of Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter

½ cup of chocolate chips

½ cup honey

1 tsp cinnamon

Steps:

1. Add all ingredients to mixing bowl and mix well.

2. Spray baking sheet or pan with nonstick spray and add mixture to pan

3. Using a spoon (or utensil of your choosing) flatten into pan and place in the freezer for 60 minutes

4. Remove, cut into bars and wrap in saran wrap or place in bags.

5. Keep in refrigerator.

6. Enjoy!

Thank you so much to Megan for sharing this yummy recipe and be sure to let both of us know if you try it! Have you ever tasted Wild Friends before? I’m dying to get my hands on some!