No Bake Quaker Oat Bars with M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis {Recipe}

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How are you doing on your holiday shopping? All done? Not even started? Hey, no judgment here for those last minute shoppers out there… With just 4 days left until Christmas, I still have lots of people on my list. I’m normally a last minute shopper, but I’ll admit, I’m really behind this year. And it doesn’t help that there are tons of people to buy for this year – teachers, babysitters, neighbors, co-workers, friends, and extended family that we don’t get to see during the year…all in addition to my mom, sister, inlaws and the kids. So. Much. Shopping. Not to mention, it can get quite costly.

So over the weekend I decided it was time to make a few gifts and get a few names off my holiday gift list. Because who doesn’t love a yummy, homemade gift that they can share over the holidays with their friends and family (or keep all to them self)? Since I went with a peppermint flavored treat last year, I decided to do something a little different this year…No Bake Quaker Oat Bars with M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis!

I used to make these bars all the time for parties and presents before I had the kids because I simply love peanut butter and they’re so easy to make. Ready in about an hour and fifteen minutes, these Easy Oat Bars are perfect treat. In the past I’ve added chocolate chips, but when I saw the M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis in Target over the weekend, they seemed like the perfect way to add a little holiday cheer to this tasty treat.

And complete the gift, I picked up some holiday Glad® containers…but I couldn’t help but dress it up a bit.

Seriously, how cute is this reindeer? And the best part is that it doesn’t take more than 5 minutes to put him together, all of which can be done while you’re letting your No Bake Quaker Oat Bars with M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis set.

Here’s how you can make them both –

You will need (for the No Bake Quaker Oat Bars):
3 cups Quaker Oats
1 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis (separated into 1/4 cup portions)

You will need (for the Glad® Reindeer):
Large Glad® container
Brown tissue paper
Googly eyes
Red foam
4 Brown pipe cleaners
Glue

Step 1 – Place peanut butter and honey in a large mixing bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds on high, or until soft. Stir until smooth and well mixed.

Step 2 – Stir in Quaker Oats until well combined. Add 1/4 cup of the M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis and stir until distributed through the oat mixture.

Step 3 – Line 8×8 baking dish with wax paper, press Quaker Oat mixture into the bottom of the baking dish using the back of a spoon, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis. Gently press down so they stick to the top of the oat mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Step 4 – While your bars are setting in the refrigerator, line the inside of your Glad® container with brown tissue paper. Cut a circle out of the red foam (I traced the cap of a water bottle then cut it out). Affix the googly eyes and red foam circle to the short side of the Glad® container using glue.

Step 5 – To make your antlers, take 2 brown pipe cleaners and put one on each long side of the Glad® container. Glue in place (I used a dab of hot glue on the inside of the container, just under the rim, for this step). Take the remaining brown pipe cleaners and cut them in half. Wrap the halves around the top of the brown pipe cleaner that is out of the container. Curve the pipe cleaners to make “antlers”.

Step 6 – Lift the wax paper out of the baking dish and cut into bars (or squares). Place them in your reindeer Glad® container and gift them to everyone on your shopping list.

I dropped off one of these festive containers filled with No Bake Oat Bars with M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis to our babysitter earlier today and she just loved them! Only 3 more deliveries!

Are you planning to bake for the holidays? If so, you can find more holiday recipes and ideas along with the great savings Quaker, Glad® and Mars at Target!