I don’t want to knock oatmeal—it’s filling and healthy—but I’m not the biggest fan of mushy porridge for breakfast. I make it because it’s quick, but with a little planning you can bake that oatmeal with peanut butter into a bar dolloped with your fave jam … now we’re talking. These are just the right amount of soft and chewy and make another great grab-and-go brekkie.
Servings: 16 bars Time: Prep: 15 minutes, Cook: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp golden flax meal
- 3 Tbsp water
- 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup tapioca flour (can substitute arrowroot flour)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup natural crunchy or smooth peanut butter
- ¾ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup favorite jam
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper by cutting two strips both 8 inches wide and crossing them in the pan to create clean edges. Trim excess overhang, if needed.
- Combine the flax meal and water and set aside to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the rolled oats, all-purpose flour, coconut sugar, tapioca flour, baking powder, and sea salt.
- In a large liquid measuring cup or another mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, non-dairy milk, and vanilla with the thickened flax meal mixture until smooth. Add this to the mixing bowl of dry ingredients, and fold together until fully combined.
- Spread the mixture evenly into the baking pan all the way to the edges. Take a dough cutter or knife and lightly score or mark every 2 inches across in each direction, creating the indented lines for 16 square bars. Do not cut through the pan of oat bars at this stage.
- Dollop about ½ teaspoon of jam on top of each square and gently press it with the back of a teaspoon into the top of each bar.
- Bake for 25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the bars look soft and raised. Cool in the baking pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes before lifting out by the parchment paper edges and placing onto the wire rack. Slice bars where you made the scores.
- Cool completely before storing leftovers in the fridge. You can warm slightly in the microwave for 30 seconds before eating. Consume within 7 days.
Adapted from HOT FOR FOOD ALL DAY. Copyright © 2021 by Lauren Toyota. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
