Zesty apple cranberry oatmeal bars with almonds

It’s Day 3 of Oat Week at The Curious Giraffe!

These chewy wheat free bars are full of apples which are nutrient-dense without being energy-dense, so you can get your sweet tooth on, while still maintaining a healthy weight!

I often throw one or two in my bag in the AM. They’re great to have handy for coffee breaks or between meal snacks. The almond chunks get nicely toasted and the flavours of apple, lime and cranberry give the bars a nice tasty zing. These babies are dense bundles of lovely nutrition!

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Zesty apple cranberry oatmeal bars with almonds

These chewy wheat free bars are full of apples which are nutrient-dense without being energy-dense, so you can get your sweet tooth on, while still maintaining a healthy weight!
Course Healthy Snacks
Cuisine Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nutrient Rich, Refined Sugar Free
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Servings 8
Author Laura Livesey

Ingredients

Dry

  • 1 cup oats ground into flour (I use a high speed blender)
  • 1 cup oats left whole
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp organic cacao powder


Wet

  • 2 apples
  • 4 medjool dates pitted
  • Zest and fruit of 1 small lime
  • 2 Tbsp agave syrup
  • 4 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract


  • 2 Tbsp dried cranberries
  • 5 Tbsp chopped almonds

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F)
  2. Blend together the dry ingredients in a bowl
  3. Blend together the wet ingredients in a high speed blender
  4. Mix the wet into the dry, and then fold in the cranberries and almonds
  5. Press the mixture evenly into a small square baking pan, draw a knife through the mixture to "cut" the bars before cooking (this will make cutting them after cooking much easier), and then bake them until nicely browned on top. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.

MAIN BENEFITS / WHY EAT THIS?

  • Portable, dense, guilt-free snack
  • Cholesterol lowering
  • Heart healthy
  • Wheat free
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