Heat the peanut butter (or almond butter), pure maple syrup (or honey), and coconut oil (or butter) in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly, until the ingredients are melted together.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the vanilla extract and cocoa powder and stir well until dissolved.

Add in the quick oats and sea salt and stir well until all of the ingredients are well-combined. Because there is no raw egg or raw flour in this great recipe, feel free to taste test the mixture for flavor so you can add additional goodies if you'd like.

Line a 8” x 8” square baking pan with parchment paper, wax paper, or spray it liberally with cooking spray.

Pour the cookie dough into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.

Freeze for at least 1 hour, or until the mixture is set up.

Pull the whole batch of bars out of the dish by pulling on the parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board.

Use a sharp knife to cut 12 to 16 individual bars.