This month the inspiring Young Ambassadors at No5 Young People have been raising mental health awareness through their “Make It For May” event.
#MakeItForMay is a series of exciting community content and ideas to encourage people to get creative and try something new this May.
This year, the event is split up into themed weeks of Arts, Technology, Movement, and Nature. As part of “Movement” week, No5 have been challenging people to take part in the ‘Give As You Live’ 5k challenge. It’s been awesome to see so many of No5’s supporters out and about, running, walking and cycling their 5ks. Epic work!
We were super pleased when No5 asked us to contribute a #MakeItForMay and we have come up with an indulgent sweet treat recipe as part of “nature” week. We know lots of you are out and about on walks to discover nature and green spaces in your area. Our homemade granola bars will be the perfect fuel for your adventures!
Hopefully our recipe for peanut butter and chocolate granola bars will inspire some young people to don their aprons and make a bit of a mess in the kitchen.
Learning new skills such as cooking is proven to boost your mood and overall wellbeing. I think we have all experienced that sense of achievement when you follow a recipe and you can enjoy the fruits of your labour. Creating tasty food from scratch can undoubtedly boost self-esteem, which is why we want to encourage as many young people as possible to get active in the kitchen.
Cooking, as well as being an outlet for creative passion, can help you form a healthy routine – something that many people suffering from low mood can struggle with. The act of buying ingredients, budgeting, planning and keeping to timings really encourages you to get organised too.
We think that the best thing about cooking is being able to share what you have created with your friends and family. We hope these tasty Peanut Butter & Chocolate Granola Bars will help you put a smile on someone’s face!
Remember though, these sweet treats should be eaten as part of balanced diet rich in vitamins, vegetables and fruit!
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Granola Bars
Makes 15 Granola Bars
Ingredients
Granola x 500g (mixed with fruit and nuts or plain)
Peanut butter x 500g (your choice of smooth or crunchy)
Honey x 340g
Unsalted Butter x 250g
Chocolate chips x 300g (white, dark or milk – your choice!)
Health Swap Idea – why not swap the chocolate for dried fruit such as raisins?
Optional ingredients…
Your choice of fruits and or nuts x 300-400g to top the granola bar(we used candied peanuts)
Chocolate drizzle to finish (melt over boiling water with dash of milk)
or
Fresh berries if wanting to impress – stick these on top with honey or melted chocolate
Method:
This is a very quick and easy recipe meaning you can make, pop in the fridge, go for a walk and by the time you are back it will be ready to eat!
- Start by putting your peanut butter, butter and honey into a pan over a low heat. Heat until all the elements have melted down and merged via stirring. Take off the heat once smooth and all combined.
- Whilst the sauce is still hot pour in your granola and any fruits or nuts. Fold all into the mixture to combine
- Leave to cool for about 5-10 minutes
- Pour in your chocolate and combine
- Pour into a baking or roasting tray lined with grease proof paper. Ideally use a tray that is 1 -2 inches deep, but any size tray will work. Press down to make as even as possible before placing into the fridge
- Leave the mixture to cool in the fridge for 1.5 hours
- Once the mixture has cooled you can slice into chocolate bar sized shapes and then top how you wish
We hope you enjoy trying this #MakeItForMay recipe!
