Strawberry Oatmeal Bars (Vegan)

Servings10

Recipe from Michaela Vais Ela Vegan

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

We thought these strawberry oatmeal bars were delightful.  Of course, the husband loved having this seasonal treat.  These had just the right amount of sweet to them.  By using mashed banana and just a bit of maple syrup, the flavor of the berries really comes through. (I followed the original recipe to the letter, with this exception… I added about ½ teaspoon vanilla to the berry mixture and ¼ teaspoon almond extract plus ½ teaspoon sea salt to the dough mixture.)

Dough:

2 cups (205 g) oats 

1 cup (120 g) almond flour* 

1 cup (90 g) oat flour 

1 small (80 g) banana, mashed* 

1/4 cup (80 g) maple syrup or agave syrup

1/4 cup (60 g) canned coconut milk*

2 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon almond extract

Strawberry Filling:

3 cups (450 g) diced strawberries

1/3 cup (105 g) maple syrup or agave syrup

2-3 teaspoon fresh lime or lemon juice

5 teaspoon chia seeds

3 teaspoon cornstarch or potato starch 

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

(I highly recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe and measuring the ingredients in grams.) 

Preheat the oven to 360 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).

Put the ingredients for the strawberry filling in a saucepan, bring to a boil, let it simmer for 5-10 minutes, and stir occasionally.

Mix all ingredients for the dough in a bowl by either using your hands or a hand mixer.

Press 2/3 of the dough evenly into a greased or lined baking dish. The pan I used measured 7 x 11 inches (18 x 28 cm).

Pour the strawberry filling over the crust.  Crumble the remaining 1/3 dough on top.  Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. 

Notes:

*Banana: Use banana or applesauce for a low-fat version. If you prefer a flaky/buttery soft crust, I would recommend using 40 grams banana (or applesauce) and 40 grams vegan butter (margarine).

*Almond flour: You can use any ground nuts/seeds of choice (e.g. hazelnuts, shredded unsweetened coconut) instead of almond flour.

*Coconut milk: You could use oat cream or soy cream instead of canned coconut milk.

*Other reviewers said that the bars could be frozen for up to 3 months.  Other berries can be used.  Frozen strawberries/berries will work.

Nutrition Facts (1 of 10 servings)

Calories 273; Fat 9.5 g; 1.7 g Sat. Fat; Carbohydrates 36.2 g; Fiber 6 g; Sugars 15.4 g; Protein 7.1 g