We are two whole foods people (and two Whole Foods people) living in a world that by and large doesn’t really know how important what we put in our mouths is. I don’t say that to condemn, I say that to point out that when you’re meeting up with your regular crew for movie night, you have to bring your own treats.

Brad was craving a rice krispie-esque treat, so we brainstormed how to make it happen. The only thing we could come up to get close to that crispy factor was toasting oats. Lo and behold, as I looked through the recipes I’ve bookmarked recently, this one popped up. I made a few changes to make it work better for us, but this satisfied his crispy-ish craving (and my perpetual chocolate one).

no-bake chocolate oat bars
adapted from Left on Amelia
makes one 9″ x 13″ pan

Wait, does this say “no-bake”? You do have to turn on the oven briefly to toast the oats. Gray area! I cooked the almond butter, coconut oil, and honey over the lowest possible heat so the honey and coconut oil would arrive in our digestive systems with as much of their benefits intact as possible. And these measurements are approximate–I just put a spoonful or so of everything in the pot. Scientific accuracy is not my strong point.

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raw almond butter (next time I make walnut butter, I’m setting some aside for this)
1/4 to 1/2 cup raw honey
1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut oil
1 3.5-oz. bar of organic dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1/3 to 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
pinch of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 415 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the oats on a baking sheet and toast until pale brown, about 8 minutes.

In the meantime, place the almond butter, honey, and coconut oil in a saucepan and melt on super-low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the oats, chocolate, coconut flakes, and salt until all the bits of chocolate turn glossy and melt (I love this part).

Spread in a 9″ x 13″ pan lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until hard, preferably overnight. Or, put in the freezer because movie night starts in 4 hours and Sherlock Holmes waits for no chocolate bar to harden in the fridge!