It’s official, I have no creativity when it comes to naming recipes. But please don’t hold my lack of creativity against this yummy little breakfast treat. It’s too good to hold anything like a silly little naming convention against it.
If you’ve ever eaten a certain “nutri”-tious breakfast bar that’s full of “grains” you know how sweetly delicious artificial chemicals can be. Those bars are filled with so many words I can’t pronounce that my head spins. Not to mention the artificial colors and flavors. But darn it, they taste soooooo good. And another darn it, my kids love them. So this is my version of those breakfast bars – made from real food and real ingredients. They’re full of nutrition and my kids love them almost as much as I do. They make an absolutely perfect grab-and-go breakfast. Their size really belies how hearty and filling they really are. They can easily pass for a cookie rather than a nutritious breakfast bar. We love them as a satisfying after school snack or even a sweet little lunch box treat. These savory sweet bars are a great way to sneak in some powerful nutrition for the whole family with very little effort.
Chewy Fruity Breakfast Bars
makes 8 bars
2 cups old fashioned oat (gluten free if desired)
6 cups water
1/2 cup palm sugar
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup brown rice flour**
1/2 cup sweet sorghum flour **
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum**
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon aluminum free baking soda
1/4 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup melted coconut oil (or high quality canola oil)
1/4 cup all natural fruit preserves – your favorite flavor
** If you’re not gluten free, simply substitute 1 cup all purpose flour for the brown rice flour, sorghum flour, and xanthan gum.
In a large bowl combine oats and water. Soak overnight, or at least 8 hours. Drain water. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl place palm sugar, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, brown rice flour, sorghum flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.
In a small mixing bowl combine eggs, honey, vanilla, and melted coconut oil. Stir in oats.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
Pour mixture into a 13×9 baking dish coated with butter. Spread evenly. Bake for 25 minutes, or until well set. Remove from oven and cool completely in pan. Cut into 16 equally sized bars. Place 8 bars on work surface and spread equally with preserves. Place remaining bars on top. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
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Do you use salted butter? I normally use unsalted butter, but each one has an ingredient that is on the do not eat list, however salted butter is just cream and salt (I can't remember the extra ingredient in unsalted butter). Thoughts?
I always use unsalted butter. The kind I use is an organic brand – the only ingredients are cream and lactic acid.