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Peanut, Oat and Apricot Bites with Salted Chocolate

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Three o’clock limps in some afternoons and makes my belly rumble. Maybe you know the feeling?

It doesn’t take a lot to keep me comfortable until dinner, usually a piece of fruit or a palm full of roasted nuts. But a few days ago, I wearied of my routine and came up with these – 2 or 3 bites of bliss that I want to share with you.


Salty No Bake Peanut Butter Oat Bites

I had in mind something healthful and light with a hint of indulgence. I’m not much for calorie counting, but did the math and each bite is about 100 calories. Not bad, right? And they’re quick – they’ll be chilling in less than half an hour. There’s no baking involved, just a few ingredients stirred together, pressed into ice cube trays, then topped with simple chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

Silicone trays work great for these. Like cutting pie, the first cube is the trickiest and the rest slide right out. If you don’t have silicone trays, any ice cube tray will do; just use a knife along the sides of each bite and gently pry it out. At worst you’ll have to pat the cube back into shape.

Salty No Bake Peanut Butter Oat Bites Preperation

Think of this recipe as a flexible framework. Be creative with your own additions: dates, dried pineapple, dried cherries, toasted coconut, candied ginger, almond or hazelnut butter… If you try something new, I’d love to hear about it.

Print
Peanut, Oat & Apricot Bites with Salted Chocolate
Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
I like the flavor and texture of raw rolled oats, but toasting them would be great too. If you decide to try it, just cook and stir the rolled oats in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes or so until they turn golden brown (let them cool before adding them to the mix).
Course: Dessert, Snack
Servings: 20 bites
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
  • 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
  • 5 dried unsulfured apricots diced into 1/4" chunks
  • 4 ounces good quality dark chocolate chopped (or chips)
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • flaky sea salt such as Maldon
Instructions
  1. Combine peanut butter, honey, and vanilla in a medium bowl; stir. Add oats and apricots; stir until thoroughly combined. Scoop mixture into individual sections of a silicone or regular ice cube tray. Press firmly to form cubes.
  2. Combine the chocolate and cream in a glass bowl; place over a pan of simmering water. Stir constantly until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes. Spoon the chocolate mixture over each bite and smooth with a spatula. Lightly sprinkle the top of each bite with flaky sea salt. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until chocolate is firm. Remove bites from trays, transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until you’re ready to eat.

 

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Comments

  1. This week I finally made these. WOW! They are delicious. It took several days of the boys saying ‘I’m not going to try that’ before they actually did try it and they were pleasantly surprised. Hope this can become a regular after school snack.

    Reply

  2. Well this is genius! I have a smaller silicone ice tray like yours from Crate and Barrel and it’s the greatest thing ever. My friends all marvels at their gigantic ice cubes. I ran out of my freezer cookie supply and it’s getting too hot to turn on the oven so these are perfect!

    Reply

  3. I love wholesome bites like these when little sweet cravings creep in. More importantly though, you are a total genius for forming these in a silicone tray. Freaking out at that!

    Reply

  8. I really like these mainly because whole grains do fill you up and help keep you from the bad snacks in between meals. Also, the flavor combo is outstanding! Just enough there to squelch a sweet craving-which is definitely a good thing. Great post!

    Reply

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