Cookie Cutter PB&J Bars

I've been putting some thought into what makes a good "kid-friendly" recipe... and I've come up with 3 major points:

1- It has to be hands on for the kids (i.e. not too many knives or too much heat)

2- The food has to be fun to look at (just like adults, kids eat first with their eyes)

3- It has to taste good (well yeah!)

My various no bake bars typically fit the #1 and #3 criteria... but since I usually just cut them into bars or shape them into balls, I had to think about how I could make them visually appealing for the kiddos.  I had just finished up making some homemade dog treats with the leftover spent grains from Sonny's beer brewing escapades this weekend... I had used a squirrel-shaped cookie cutter to make Buddy's dog treats.  So why not use a cookie cutter to make my bars more visually appearing for the kids??!!

And that's how I came up with the idea for my Sea Otter PB&J Bars... of course you can use  any cookie cutter or a variety of shapes depending on what the kids are into!

Now the recipes is not only tasty and easy with lots of kid-friendly steps, but now my bars are also super fun for kids (and adults) to eat!

Cookie Cutter PB&J Bars
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cup prunes
1 cup peanuts
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1Tb unsweetened almond milk

Pulse oats in food processor until finely ground.  Add prunes and peanuts and pulse until finely ground pieces form.  Add peanut butter and pulse for another 30-60 seconds until PB is well distributed.  Add just enough almond milk (1tb at a time) until mixture is sticky enough to form a ball.

Roll your "dough" out about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Use cookie cutter of choice to cut out fun, edible shapes.  Store your bars in the refrigerator for best results.