Equipment
- large (5-quart or so) mixing bowl
- small bowl (big enough for a cup of flour)
- rubber or silicone spatula, for mixing, scooping, and pressing
- 8″x 8″ baking pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup quick oats (100g)
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup white flour (100g)
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut (50g)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I use Jiff) (250g) [Note: Jiff is non-GMO, has zero trans fat and no cottonseed or palm oil]
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (100g)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (85 g) (I get the in bulk at Willimantic Food Coop)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- cooking spray
Process
- Turn on the oven to 350 degrees.
- To the large bowl add 1 cup (100g) of quick oats.
- Boil one cup of water and mix it into the oats.
- Mix in 1/2 cup (100g) of packed brown sugar.
- Mix in 2 tsp of vanilla extract.
- Allow this mixture to cool while you do the other prep. (Let it cool at least 20 minutes.)
- Fill a measuring cup (or weigh 250g) with peanut butter to have ready.
- To a small bowl, add 3/4 cup (100g) of flour, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of baking powder, and 1/2 tsp of baking soda.
- Line the 8″x8″ pan with parchment, with a little extra length hanging out to use as handles. Spray the parchment with cooking spray.
- Mix the small bowl ingredients into the large bowl.
- Mix the peanut butter into the large bowl.
- Mix 1/2 cup (85g) of chocolate chips into the large bowl.
- The mixture is thick. Scoop and press it down into the pan, making reasonably even.
- Cook it for 25 minutes.
- Let it cool completely and then lift it out by the parchment handles and cut it into bars.
- Try not to eat the entire batch in one sitting.
Submitted by:
Paul Cocuzzo, Feb 2017