These healthy strawberry oatmeal bars are the easiest bars to make, I promise you. They're gluten-free, refined sugar-free and use better fat.
I could eat the oatmeal base just as is, that's what I keep telling Marco. Yes, that's how delicious it is.
What I really love about this recipe is that I can totally make varieties of oatmeal bars with it, just by switching the fruit.
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Recipe Highlights
Texture and flavour - Hearty oatmeal base with thick, gooey strawberry coulis-jam-like filling and oatmeal crumbles on top. Mildly sweet with a slight tangy touch.
Size - 8 inches (20 cm) square whole, sliced into 16 pieces.
Level - Very easy. Just mix the oatmeal by whisk/wooden spoon, pre-bake it, pour cooked strawberry coulis, some crumbles on top, and continue baking to perfection.
Ingredients Talk & Substitutions
Oats - I use instant rolled oats. You can use whatever you have in hands.
Oat flour - I buy mine, it's easier for me since I use both oats and oat flour a lot in our house. If you don't, then you can make it yourself by grinding your oats into a fine texture.
NOTE: For cup measurement, always measure after grinding the oats, not before.
Coconut sugar - I love it! Love that mild coconuty-caramelly touch to the bars.
SUBSTITUTION: Any dry sweetener like light or dark brown sugar. Use the same amount. If using erythritol, add 30% more since it's always a milder sweetener.
Strawberry - I use fresh, ripe and sweet strawberries. You can use frozen ones, no problem at all. Cook them without thawing. Adjust the sweetness of your coulis as you prefer (add more coconut sugar as needed).
Oil - I use coconut oil. I've used extra virgin olive oil also, and it worked great. Any oil will do.
Fresh or Frozen Strawberry?
As I mentioned earlier, both fresh and frozen strawberries work great in this recipe.
If you're using frozen ones, you don't need to thaw them before making your coulis. As the strawberries break down, just press them with a wooden spoon to break them into smaller chunks. Just remember, we don't want them totally mushed also.
Can I Use Other Fruits?
Totally!
Use this recipe as a guide and get creative. You can use raspberry, blueberry, apple, pear, pineapple.. just naming a few.
If the fruit that you're using tends to release lots of water, then use more corn starch. This will help the filling to thicken and prevents the base from getting soggy.
How To Store
Store them in air tight container, in the fridge. They last up to 3-4 days. Heads up. The colour of the strawberry filling will get dull as the days go by. Also, the base won't be as crisp.
I like to freeze them by wrapping them individually with cling film, and placing them in a ziploc bag. Easier for me to just grab the amount that I need. They're best consumed within 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Watch How To Make Them
📖 Recipe
Healthy strawberry oatmeal bars
Ingredients
The Base
- ½ cup coconut oil (125 ml)
- 1 large egg , room temperature
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar (90 g)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 2 cup instant rolled oats (180 g)
- 1 ½ cup oat flour (195 g)
The Strawberry Filling
- 1 lb strawberry (450 g), cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 lemon , zest and juice
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
Instructions
The Base
- Add coconut oil, egg, sugar and cinnamon into a bowl. Mix everything well using a wooden spoon. Now add in instant rolled oats and oat flour. Mix.
- Pour ⅔ of the mixture into an 8 inch (20 cm) square pan with removable bottom. Press evenly with your fingers.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF (175ºC), conventional mode, upper and lower heat, on lower ⅔ rack, for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.
The Strawberry Filling
- Meanwhile the base is cooking, lets make our coulis. Add strawberry chunks, sugar and lemon zest in a pan. Cook on medium high heat for a few minutes, just until the strawberry breaks down a bit and starts releasing some liquid.
- Make a slurry by mixing lemon juice and corn starch. Add into the pan, stir until the coulis thickens. Remove from the heat.
Assembling
- Pour the coulis on the oat base and spread evenly. Now sprinkle the balance of oat mixture on top. Continue baking for another 25 minutes.
- Cool completely before slicing to get a nice clean cut. If you don't mind, slice while still warm and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Oh yes!
Notes
- Store in an air tight container, in the fridge. Last up to 3-4 days.
- Freeze in air tight container or bag, best consumed within 2 months.
- Fresh or frozen strawberry work great in this.
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