I know it’s the long weekend you guys! And Labour Day weekend always signifies so many things – renewal, change, healthier beginnings and a fresh start! And that’s why I’m going to give you 3 reasons you need to add these delicious gluten free oatmeal breakfast bars to your morning routine.
- For some of us, the day after labour day is like January first and a lot of people are on the hunt for healthy eating options after months of eating with reckless abandon.
- The kids are going back to school and you need some fresh ideas for go-for-you yummy snacks!
- You’re looking for new ways to use up things in your pantry that you may have purchased in January when you were planning of making healthier foods (like coconut sugar, alternative flours and coconut oil).
I’m all about sinful desserts (there’s nothing like a really yummy sugar laden treat ;)). But, I find that the day after Labour Day always feels like a fresh start. I always want to clean out my fridge and pantry and fill them all with healthier food (probably because I’ve been indulging in ice cream and burgers all summer!
So these squares were almost born out of necessity. I needed some healthier treats to grab and I had a few things that had seen better days (namely coconut oil and coconut sugar) . I also had a ton of oats because I thought I’d eat lots of it in the summer. But, I don’t know how you feel but oatmeal reminds me of snowy mornings when I want something filling in my belly and I always forget about it when it’s steamy hot outside.
Where Do I Find Healthy Inspiration?
Whenever I need inspiration for a healthier treat using more natural ingredients, I head on over to my friends at Minimalist Baker. They have boatloads of recipes and I’m always inspired when I go searching through their recipes. My protein bites (you can see the recipe here) were inspired by their clean eating cookies!! And after all the searching and a few tweaks, these delicious gluten free oatmeal breakfast bars were born!
What You’ll Need to Make These Gluten Free Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- rolled oats
- coconut flour (you can use any flour)
- unsweetened coconut flakes
- ground cinnamon
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- eggs
- coconut oil
- nut butter
- coconut sugar (you can use granulated sugar)
- vanilla extract
- chopped apple (you can use any fruit)
- walnuts
Can We Make These in Mini-Muffin Tins?
Of course you can!!! And they’ll probably be easier to handle!!!
Can These Be Frozen?
Of course they can!! And, you can even add them to lunchboxes frozen!! They will be fresh (like they just came out of the oven) by the time lunch rolls around AND they will keep anything in your lunch bag cool until you’re ready to chow down!!
We’re going to need to get all of our stuff ready to go…then it’s a breeze to throw these bars together!
You can see that I used chopped apples but you can use any chopped fruit! And if you don’t want to be able to see the fruit, then you can grate it (grated apples work great here!!!)
These oatmeal breakfast bars are the perfect amount of sweet with the perfect amount of moist and the perfect amount of flavour! The trifecta of a good treat!!
I’d love to see how you guys make these and what variations you’ll come up with !! I sure hope you guys share your beautiful bars with me!!!
gluten free oatmeal breakfast bars
Ingredients
- ¾ cup gluten-free rolled oats
- ¼ cup coconut flour (you can use any flour)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs for a vegan option, use t flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 6 tablespoons water, whisked together, set for 15 mins)
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1/3 cup natural unsalted nut butter
- ¼ cup coconut sugar (you can use granulated sugar)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large chopped apple you can use any fruit (about 1/2-3/4 c) or even chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts you can use any nut (chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together oats, flour, coconut, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut oil, nut butter, coconut sugar and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture and, using a rubber spatula, stir and fold the ingredients together until well combined. Fold fruit and nuts.
- Transfer into prepared baking pan. Using a rubber spatula, spread into an even and tightly packed layer.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes.
- Place on a cooling rack for 1 hour, or until completely cool. Lift breakfast bars out of the baking pan. Slice into 16 bars.
