My Journey Making Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Treats
Okay so last Sunday my cousin texted me she’s coming over but can’t eat dairy. Suddenly I’m scrambling for dessert ideas. Found this peanut butter concept and thought: challenge accepted!
Gathering Stuff From My Pantry
First I ransacked my kitchen like a squirrel hunting nuts. Dug out:
- That almost-empty peanut butter jar scraping the sides
- Maple syrup half-used from pancake breakfast
- Rolled oats that expired last month (still smelled fine!)
- Cocoa powder with clumps I smashed with a spoon
Big realization: Didn’t have coconut oil so used vegetable oil instead. Grabbed raisins when recipes asked for chocolate chips. Improvising mode activated!
Messing Up The First Batch
Tried making energy balls first. Mixed oats, peanut butter and maple syrup in a bowl. Looked like wet cement. Added more oats – now it’s crumbly sand. Splashed oil trying to save it and created sticky sludge. Rolled them anyway but they kept collapsing into sad blobs.
Put the disaster blobs in the freezer thinking “maybe cold fixes everything?” Spoiler: it didn’t. They tasted okay but looked like muddy hailstones.
Second Attempt Success
Switched to no-bake bars. Smashed graham crackers in a ziplock until my arms burned. Mixed with peanut butter goop and maple syrup. Slapped it into a dish – actually looked legit!
Made cocoa drizzle by whisking cocoa powder with oil and syrup. Poured crooked lines across the top like a kindergartener finger-painting. Stuck it in the fridge and prayed.
The Grand Reveal
Three hours later cousin arrives. I’m sweating cutting these bars. First piece crumbled at the corner – almost panicked! But inside? Perfectly held together. She took one bite and did that eyes-closed “mmm” thing. Victory!
We ate six squares each watching Netflix. Couldn’t even tell it was dairy-free. Used maybe 7 dishes total but worth every sticky spoon.
Final thoughts: These are idiot-proof even when you substitute everything. If my lumpy energy balls evolved into decent bars, anyone’s can. Just keep extra napkins handy!
