Description
These strawberry oatmeal bars are vegan, gluten-free, & refined sugar-free! They are the perfect spring or summer treat filled with fresh, juicy strawberries & delicious rolled oats!
Ingredients
Scale
Strawberry Layer
- 2 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp ground flax (or ground chia seeds)
Oatmeal Layer
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, softened (or butter)
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar (or granulated sweetener of choice)
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds (or chia seeds) + 3 tbsp water (or 1 egg)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp pink salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 + 1/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 3/4 cup gluten-free flour (this is my favourite one)
Instructions
Strawberry Layer
- For the strawberry layer, add the frozen strawberries, lemon juice & honey to a medium sized pot over low heat.
- Stir the mixture using a spatula regularly to prevent burning & pressing the strawberries as they become soft.
- Once the strawberries have softened, continue to simmer for about 5 minutes on low heat. Check it regularly & stir often to prevent it from burning to the pot.
- Remove from the stovetop & add the ground flax.
- Let cool slightly while you make the oatmeal bars.
Oatmeal Bars
- For the oatmeal bars, start by making your flax or chia egg. In a small bowl add the ground flax or chia seeds & the water. Allow it to sit & thicken for 5-10 minutes.
- Next, in a separate bowl, add the coconut oil & coconut sugar together. Add the rest of the ingredients adding the egg last, until well incorporated.
- Take 2/3 of the oatmeal mixture & press firmly into a parchment paper lined square baking dish. Save the remaining 1/3 for the top of the strawberry layer.
- Evenly pour the strawberry layer over the bottom oatmeal layer.
- Add the leftover oatmeal pieces to the top of the strawberry layer, in little pieces evenly over the top.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- Remove & let cool completely.
- Place the bars in the fridge for 8+ hours or overnight to firm up (you can enjoy the right away but the middle will not be fully set).
- Slice into bars, top with melted coconut butter if desired & enjoy!*
Notes
*I keep them stored in the fridge in an air-sealed container.
**Note: after a couple days in the fridge they started to get ‘mushy’ so for this reason I would recommend enjoying them as soon as possible. They were still great warmed up with ice cream after they started to get a little extra soft.
Keywords: vegan, gluten free, strawberry, oat bars, oatmeal