These cherry almond oat bars are so tender and “buttery” that you just’d under no circumstances guess they’re made with none flour or butter! A mixture of oats and almond flour affords them an irresistibly tender crust, which pairs beautifully with a easy do-it-yourself cherry chia seed jam. A delicious gluten-free and vegan snack.
So I do comprehend it’s nonetheless January and cherries are additional a summer time season issue, nonetheless I can’t be the one one who nonetheless needs fruity points even throughout the lifeless of winter. That and it was -38°C (-36°F) proper right here a short time up to now, so the balmy -1 we’re having enjoyable with now principally looks as if t-shirt local weather.
And I do know current cherries aren’t obtainable spherical this time of 12 months, nonetheless due to the magic of flash-freezing, we are going to nonetheless benefit from nutrient packed fruits even throughout the winter months… which is what we want, correct? Further dietary nutritional vitamins to fend off the entire baddies? Flu-fighting desserts – can that be an element?
In all honesty, though, I’m merely looking for an excuse to discuss these cherry almond oat barsnonetheless I suppose the entire excuse I would like is that they’re merely straight up delicious.
How To Make Cherry Almond Oat Bars
First up, we’ve obtained to make the cherry chia seed jam. It might sound a bit intimidating, but it surely absolutely’s actually super easy to make.
- Add the cherries and maple syrup to a saucepan set over medium-high heat and stay up for the cherries to begin out releasing their juices. As quickly as that happens, I wish to make use of a potato masher to interrupt them apart extra sooner than together with the chia seeds.
- As quickly because the chia seeds are in, carry the jam to a boil, stirring generally, until it begins to cut back and thicken.
- Take away it from the heat and let it cool whereas it continues to thicken.
It’s best to seek out your self with one factor that’s the consistency of… correctly… jam. It shouldn’t be runny the least bit, and you want to have the flexibility to unfold it with a knife or spoon. I don’t like having big chunks of cherry in my jam since that doesn’t sit too correctly on the bars, so I wish to suggest shifting into with a potato masher (or regardless of you might need obtainable) to get all of them mashed up. And while you don’t have the time or parts to make your private jam, you’ll merely use 3/4 cup of a store-bought jam.
Subsequent up, we’ve obtained the almond oat crust. I want to make this throughout the blender since I uncover it to be the best and quickest, nonetheless you’ll merely make it by hand – merely substitute the 1 cup of oats with 3/4 cup of oat flour and mix the entire parts collectively by hand in an enormous mixing bowl.
Strategies For Working With The Almond Oat Crust
You’ll want to make use of about 2/3 of the dough for the underside and save the remaining 1/3 for the best, but it surely absolutely doesn’t have to be precise so don’t concern an extreme quantity of about portions – merely ensure you depart some dough to positioned on excessive.
For the underside, I want to use a spatula sprayed with cooking spray to unfold the dough out as a result of it’s a bit on the sticky side and will probably be robust to work with. After that comes the entire jam, adopted by the remaining 1/3 dough for the best. For this half, I drop the dough by small spoonfuls after which use moist fingers to unfold them out. You presumably may even use a knife to swirl the dough into the jam a bit for a neat swirly influence.
Okay, Nonetheless What Are They Like?
You guys. This crust is so.freaking.good. I’m not exactly constructive what it is, nonetheless I’ve always found that the combination of oats and almond flour tastes a lot like standard dough made with flour and butter… with out actually being made with any flour or butter. Ya know? These guys are actually vegan and gluten-free (as long as you make the most of licensed gluten-free oats), so even these with some dietary restrictions can benefit from them.
The bars themselves are sweet, tender, and “buttery,” making them actually really feel extra decadent. You presumably can cut back on the sweetness a bit bit via using a lot much less sugar throughout the crust (1/4 cup to 6 Tbsp relying in your tastes), and you need to use a definite fruit for the jam while you don’t have or like cherries. Might I wish to suggest strawberries or blueberries? In any case, I really feel you’ll love these bars.
Glad consuming!
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cherry almond oat bars
Full Time:
1 hour
Yield:
12 bars 1x
For the cherry chia jam:*
For the bars:
Instructions
Make the jam:
- Add the cherries and maple syrup to a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Heat until the cherries begin to launch their liquid, about 5 – quarter-hour counting on whether or not or not or not they’ve been current, frozen, or thawed. Carry to a boil, stirring generally, until the cherries begin to cut back and thicken, about 5 -10 minutes. Use your spoon or a potato masher to interrupt them apart extra if desired.
- Stir throughout the chia seeds, persevering with to organize dinner for yet another 5 minutes. Take away the pan from the heat and allow the jam to sit back. It’ll proceed to thicken the longer it sits, which is why I typically want to make it the night time time sooner than I’m planning on making these bars.
Make the bars:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and put collectively an 8×8 (20×20 cm) baking pan by lining it with a sheet of parchment paper, leaving just some inches of overhang on the edges to allow for easy elimination.
- Add the oats and almond flour to a high-speed blender or meals processor and course of on extreme for about 10 seconds, or until the oats have broken down into the consistency of an amazing flour. Add the remaining crust parts and proceed processing until a sticky dough begins to sort. Make sure that to stop and scrape down the edges of your blender/processor as compulsory.
- Swap 2/3 of the dough into your prepared baking pan, using your fingers or a spatula to guarantee that it is pressed down tightly and evenly. It’s maybe a bit stubborn, so I wish to suggest spraying your spatula with cooking spray or conserving a small bowl of water shut by so you’ll moist your fingers. Spoon the chia jam over the ground, and use a spatula or knife to unfold it evenly, making certain to solely go inside 1/4 of the sting to forestall the jam from burning. Excessive with remaining dough by dropping it on excessive in in just some separate globs, after which using your spatula to unfold them out.
- Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, until the centre has set and the bars begin to present golden brown. Take away from the oven and permit them to chill throughout the pan for about quarter-hour sooner than transferring them to a wire rack to sit back totally. Use a sharp knife to cut them into explicit individual bars and retailer them in partially coated container at room temperature for as a lot as 3 days. After that, cowl them and keep the bars throughout the fridge or wrap them individually and freeze for as a lot as 3 months.
Notes
* You might also use 3/4 cup store-bought jam while you don’t have time to make your private.
** I wish to make use of frequent cane sugar because of the lighter colour it affords the crust, nonetheless you’ll sub in coconut sugar as correctly. You might also cut back the amount of sugar to 6 Tbsp if you would like a lot much less sweet bars.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Put together dinner Time: 40 minutes
In quest of additional healthful snack bar recipes? Try actually one in every of these!
Blueberry Almond Oat Bars
Flourless Sweet Potato Brownies
No Bake Sweet & Salty Path Mix Bars
Flourless Banana Bread Bars
Flourless Double Chocolate Brownies
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