
Eric says I make my best recipes when I’m pmsing.
Wait, is that a back-handed compliment?
Errr…
And how did he know I was pmsing?
“Well,…remember the other night when you started to cry watching that wedding dress show…?”
“When the Dad cries, everyone cries.”
“…and the other day, I caught you with chocolate all over your face talking about some chocolate river…”
“….and how is that different from any other day?”
“Good point. Or yesterday, when you were yelling on the phone with the phone company…”
“She was a phone robot, that doesn’t count! Robots have no feelings, pulse,…or comprehension of the English language, evidently.”
“Or this morning when…”
Ooooooook, no need to live in the past. I’m sure we all get the point. ;)
After some careful thought, his statement did make sense.
PMS –> increase in calorie expenditure (yay, eat more) –> increase in hunger –> empty stomach feeling 24/7 –> chocolate river dreams –> cooking/baking success.
Now, let’s look for concrete proof of his claims over the past week:
- Chocolate Cake Batter Smoothie
- Stuffed Phyllo Rolls
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Glazed Doughnuts
- Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts
- 5 Ingredient Cheeze Sauce
Guilty as charged.

If that is hard evidence, these Chocolate Chunk Toffee Bars are the final nail in my coffin. Eric declared the recipe ‘in the vault’ and mumbled something about chocolate while his eyes glazed over. Typical. The stash quickly disappeared in the span of 3 days. Not surprisingly, more by him than me!
I guess he’s suffering from Male Menstrual Syndrome. I better keep my distance…there’s nothing worse than MAN-MS, right ladies?

And don’t worry, I pointed and laughed at the chocolate smudges on the side of his mouth.

Chocolate Chunk Toffee Bars

Yield
9 large bars
Prep time
Rest time
45 minutes
Cook time
Total time
Everything I love in a granola bar- a crisp, toffee-like exterior with a chunky and chewy middle. Be sure to allow the bars to cool completely before slicing. If you adapt the recipe, please leave a comment with the changes you made and how it turned out! I’m curious if other flours and nut butters might work.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup oats
- 1/4 cup whole grain spelt flour
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
- 2 tbsp Earth Balance (or other non-dairy spread)
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all natural peanut butter (my PB is very ‘drippy’- if yours is dry add another tbsp Earth Balance)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chunks or chips
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper (one going each way), so the bars do not stick to pan.
- In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (oats, flour, chia seeds, cinnamon, salt, walnuts).
- In a microwavable bowl, stir together the brown rice syrup, Earth Balance, brown sugar, and peanut butter. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Alternatively you can heat this on the stovetop.
- Pour wet mixture onto dry and stir well. The mixture will be very tough to stir (it’s a thick dough!) so don’t be alarmed. Allow the dough to cool a bit before mixing in the chocolate (otherwise, if you add in the chocolate too soon, it will melt, and it’s best chunky).
- Scoop into prepared pan and with a wet spoon spread out the mixture. The dough will be very thick and sticky. I dipped a pastry roller into water and rolled it out. Try to get it as even as possible!
- Bake for 30-32 minutes at 350°F. Allow to cool in the pan, on a cooling rack, for at least 15 minutes. Remove carefully from pan and allow to cool on the rack for another 20-30 minutes. If you cut the bars before completely cooling, they will crack, so it’s a good idea to wait as they will firm up.

These granola bars took me a few tries, but I finally got the outcome I was looking for- a crispy, toffee-like exterior with a chewy, chocolaty middle. They have a slight toffee flavour and are like a less sweet, more natural candy bar!

The bars will firm up a bit once cooled which is exactly how I prefer to eat them. Their flavour and chewy texture gets better with age. :)

Ok, I just Googled ‘male PMS’ for fun and there’s an actual term for it called Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS).
I can’t wait to tell Eric I found his diagnosis!
Women are always pointed at when we are moody – but what about men?! When their team loses it’s like the world is going to end! lol
The bars look delish and perfect for this month – just sayin’ ;)
heh :)
bahahaha so true!! There is no consoling my husband after a terrible loss. Haha funny, maybe we should start pointing it out!
I have chocolate cravings 24/7, PMS or not- these look amazing! Going to go make them … now… ;) xo
These look outstanding!!! I love all of the texture. You can really tell this is an amazing bar, just by the photos. Well done my friend. Oh Eric…you are so funny. ;)
IMS, LOL!! :) Too funny, I’ll have to tell my husband about that one.
These look delicious, truly yummy.
I was interested to learn in school that chocolate cravings can sometimes be because us women get low on magnesium during that time of the month. Chocolate is high in magnesium so we naturally crave it. These remind me of my trail mix bars I made back in the winter – with roasted walnuts and dried fruit, but there was no chocolate. Gawsh, how could I have forgotten to add chocolate!
thats interesting! I take a magnesium pill every day so I hope I’m not low in it.
It’s one of those things… if you get a couple of dietitians or doctors together the arguments start flying!
Some say its the mood enhancing chemicals like dopamine or serotonin, or others say its the minerals like iron and magnesium. There was a study done that compared cacao to chocolate (like in the bars) and people chose the bars over the real cacao. So, in the end… maybe it just makes us feel good, simple as that.
Yea I agree it’s hard to pinpoint, like any type of health issue I guess. I’m sure it’s a result of many factors, physical and mental!
I need those in my face RIGHT NOW.
IMS — hahaha, ROFL! It’s a very real thing in our house, too!!! :)
Anything with “chocolate chunk” in it gets an A+ in my book! If only we were on similar schedules… I needed this desperately about a week ago..ha!
I am PMSing.
Post-menstrual-syndrome.
I just need these to happen in my kitchen right now.
So we’re having a party at work tomorrow and I signed up to make cookie dough balls. Because of this post I had to go in, scratch that off, and add these to the list instead – I need to have a reason to make them tonight! ;)
LOL IMS is no fun! These would have been very helpful for me this week where I was living a no chocolate left behind kind of week!
Hahah, I am so glad you found out about IMS! I have been convinced for years that men go through their version of PMS and now I have proof! :-)
lol!!! Your wit just made my day! We can all relate to the PMS and IMS :0P Those bars look absolutely divine. Massive baking session imminent!
I wish I could grab one of those through this computer screen! Those look delicious. I love a good size granola bar and especially when they taste like a dessert!
LOL! It’s an actual condition?! Who knew? That was supposed to be our excuse, dang it! Don’t let word get out to our significant others. Haha!
These toffee bars look awesome! I have a recipe on my site for NoBake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/03/no-bake-toffee-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-bites.html
Just delete this if you don’t want the link drop…sorry!!
But yes, I Love love love toffee. And with chocolate. I used heath bar bits, so it’s not vegan, but i know you can make toffee at home from scratch that is, I just didnt want to be bothered.
But I am loving your recipe…obvi vegan and obvi awesome looking. And PMS…at least it’s good for recipe development :)
Mmm! These look amazing! You are so inspiring!
Yum! Every guy makes chocolate disappear, so I know that women aren’t the only ones who love tasty treats like these. Thanks!
Ugh, these look SO GOOD. I want some NOW. & yes, I’m PMSing too. Or MSing. Who knows, my body is messed up.
amazing! I am a huge toffee fan plus them being in a bar form is my favorite.
Bless you and your uh-umm…PMS! :)