Way-Too-Easy Unprocessed Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

From The Unprocessed Life.

Though I absolutely love dessert, I have a few stipulations these days when it comes to what I eat.

First of all, it has to be as unprocessed as possible (duh).

Second, it has to be free of white sugar and as healthy as possible.

And lastly: It must be easy.

And, let me tell you, it doesn't get any easier than this.

This recipe has five ingredients, uses a single bowl, takes about 90 seconds to make and doesn't require a single kitchen appliance save for your freezer. (Yes, no mixer, food processor, blender, oven or microwave.)

I'm sure I don't have to tell you at all why this is fantastic. But what I will tell you is that it gets even better: These taste amazing.

Don't believe me? Make them. I dare you not to eat a quarter of the dough before they even make it to the freezer. I mean, just look at the chocolatey-nutty-oaty goodness:

Way-Too-Easy Unprocessed Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

1 cup thick-cut oats
1/2 cup nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, sun butter, etc.)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 to 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life mini-chocolate chips)
Splash vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, using a wooden spoon or spatula. Next, line a 7x11 glass pan (or whatever pan you have that's closest in size) with wax paper or parchment. Dump your dough out onto the lined pan.

Next, take another sheet of wax or parchment paper, layer it on top of the dough and use firm pressure from your hands to flatten it smooth.

Remove the paper and score the flattened dough into small squares or rectangles. Replace the top layer of paper and stick the whole thing into the freezer for 20 minutes or as long as you can stand it.

Serve them straight from the freezer (they tend to fall apart if left out). Store them in the freezer, too, either in the pan, or in Tupperware between layers of paper.