Looking for a super satiating breakfast or mid-day snack? Look no further! Try out these baked oatmeal squares. The taste and texture are great. The preparation for them is fairly straightforward and the best part is you can customize the recipe to your liking!
Scroll down for the recipe for baked oatmeal squares.
Follow this link for an instructional video: https://bit.ly/3tASUpu. Recipe and video were shared by nutrition intern Nicole Smolen*.
Baked Oatmeal Squares
Recipe makes 15-16 oatmeal squares
Oatmeal Base
2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal + 6 tablespoons water)
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1.5 cups non-dairy milk (unsweetened)
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup (adjust per sweetness preference)
1/2 cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 nut butter (see note)
Mix-Ins
Choose 1/2 to 1 cup of the following:
-Dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, mango, coconut shreds, etc.)
-Mini chocolate chips, carob chips, or cacao nibs
-Seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, etc.)
-Chopped nuts (walnuts, cashews, peanuts, etc.)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat your pan with non-stick spray or use liners.
2. Prepare the flax eggs. Combine the ground flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons of water. Stir well and allow it rest for 10-15 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: oats, baking powder, and salt.
4. Next, you’ll whisk the wet ingredients together in a smaller bowl. This includes the non-dairy milk, maple syrup, apple sauce, nut butter, vanilla extract, and prepared flax eggs.
5. Pour your wet ingredients into the large bowl.
6. Mix in your toppings of choice. I chose 1/4 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips, 1/2 cup dried cherries (naturally sweetened with apple juice), and 1/4 cup chopped walnuts.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
NOTES
You can always substitute a mashed ripe banana for 1/2 cup of applesauce.
You can choose to reduce the maple syrup to 2 tablespoons. Adding the applesauce, dried fruits and/or chocolate chips can help with the sweetness.
It’s best to use a neutral nut butter. Cashew or sunflower are wonderful choices!
It’s best to chop any nuts and dried fruit before adding to your bars.
ENJOY!
*Nicole is a nutrition enthusiast as well as an avid recipe developer. She is a self described foodie who enjoys creating plant-based recipes with a cinematic twist (utilizing her background in cinema, she combines it with her passion in food and nutrition to create fun recipes).
Julie Tang Nutrition 