Today I’m sharing an easy to make bar you can use for snacking, lunches, and breakfasts too. In fact, I won’t call out one of the kids by name, but know that said child can eat 1/3 of a batch for breakfast. Just cuts a long line, picks it up, says thanks, and walks off. I can’t help but smile and laugh when this happens.
For those of you with picky eaters, easy recipes like these are a great way to have them help. Or “help”. Getting them involved can aide in the reduction of picky eating, and increases the chances that they’ll be willing to take a bite.
How to Add Variety with This Recipe
You’ll notice that these are cherry bars. This recipe also works with strawberry, mango, peach, and blueberries. Each of these fruits can be purchased in a freeze dried (or powdered) form. Should you choose to use peach or mango, don’t be afraid to double up on the amount of fruit used to make sure the flavour really bursts through.
Depending on your taste preferences, you can also add white chocolate chips (as photoed) or regular chocolate chips to the top of your bars. Cool/easy “hack”: once the bars are pressed into the pan, add a decent amount of chocolate chips and spread evenly, then bake. As soon as the bars come out of the oven, spread them with an angled spatula. When the bars cool completely, you’ll have a cool chocolate layer on top that didn’t require extra melting or tempering steps.
Allergy Status
Free From: Wheat/Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy, Tree Nut (including Coconut), Peanut, Fish, Shellfish, Top 8 Allergens, Sesame, Alliums, Apple, Avocado, Banana, Beans & Lentils, Berries, Buckwheat, Cane/Refined Sugar, Carrot, Celery, Cinnamon, Citrus, Cruciferous, Garlic, Latex Cross Reactive Foods (H/M), Legume, Lupin, Mushroom, Mustard, Nightshade, Onion, Pea & Pea Protein, Potato (Nightshade Variety), Poultry, Red Meat, Rice, Seeds, Squash & Gourd, Strawberry, Sweet Potato & Yam, Tapioca/Cassava/Yuca/Manioc, Tomato, Yeast
Friendly To: Diabetic, EOE, Low Histamine
Compatible With: Stone Fruit Free, Vegan, Pollen Cross Reactive Free (Alder, Grass)
Stone Fruit Free, Pollen (Alder, Grass): Swap the freeze dried cherries for a freeze dried fruit you enjoy. Strawberry and blueberry are both great starting points.
Vegan: Swap the honey for maple syrup. If your bars are on the loose side (honey has more binding power), add more of your nut/seed butter.
Low Histamine Reminder: If vanilla extract is not tolerated, swap for 3/4 teaspoon of ground vanilla instead.
Ingredients
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Part 1 Ingredients
- 56 g Organic Freeze Dried Cherries 2 ounces
- 200 g Organic Nut/Seed/Legume/Tuber Butter of Choice (we used almond butter this time)
- 100 g Organic Honey of Choice
- 1 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 tsp Sea Salt
Part 2 Ingredients
- 200 g Organic GF PP Rolled Oats
Optional
- 65 mL Milk of Choice (might not be needed, see directions)
- White Chocolate Chips
Helpful Articles
- Are Oats Gluten Free: Know The Details
- Spreads: Nut Butters, Seed Butters, Legume Butters, Tuber Butters
- Video Link – watch me assemble these in a short YouTube video
Directions
Start by placing your freeze dried cherries (or other freeze dried fruit) into your blender and blitzing into a fine powder. It’s OK if it’s not perfect. If you have a safe-for-you cherry powder you can purchase, use that instead.
Next, add all of the part 1 ingredients into your food processor. Mix until a smooth paste forms. This is where the optional milk comes in. Depending on the consistency of your spread of choice, you might end up with something that’s clumpy, like I did. I used 65mLs of milk to bring it together. If you have a clumpy mix, it won’t take much milk to get to a smooth paste, so start with 1 – 2 ounces (30 – 60mL).
With the paste finished, remove the blade of your food processor. Now, add the oats. Use a heavy duty spatula to mix everything together well.
Next, preheat your oven to 350f/175c, then line a glass baking dish with parchment paper. Allow the paper to go over the edge, as this will act as “handles” so you can lift the bars straight out after baking. As photoed, I used an 11 x 7 inch glass baking dish. You can use a smaller dish for a thicker bar, or a larger dish for a thinner bar. Either way, that will alter your bake time.
Transfer the mix to your baking dish and distribute evenly. Finally, if you’re using the optional chocolate chips, add them. Bake at 350f/175c for 25 – 30 minutes.
When you pull the bars out, if you’ve used the chocolate chips, use an offset (angled) spatula to spread the chocolate chips. This will create a smooth layer as photoed.
Allow the bars to cool completely, then use the parchment paper overhang to lift them out. You can then cut them right on the paper, no cutting board needed.
You can freeze your bars, or store on the counter top. These can be stored both covered or uncovered, but will dry out even more uncovered. Only do this if that’s legit how you’d like your bars to be.
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