Seedy Almond Oat Bars by Baking The Goods.
January has come and gone, and boy am I glad that’s over. Now that we are really settling into the new decade, it’s time to kick off my 2020 #BakingTheGoodsWithBobs series in partnership with my pals from Bob’s Red Mill!
If you weren’t following along in 2019, here is the gist. Every other month we will take a full week to dive deep into one category of baked good on my social media platforms. I come up with a cute hashtag like #illbehomeforcookies or #GetInTheSconeZone to rally around and I tag all of my posts with that hashtag. I encourage you to tag your posts with those hashtags, too! Every day I post a recipe on my main social feeds. Behind the scenes in Stories, we chat about my top tips, techniques and tools for the theme. There are live demos, ongoing conversations, a brand new recipe and step-by-step recipe video. There is even a GIVEAWAY with loads of Bob’s Red Mill goodies and some of my favorite baking tools. It’s sort of like a mini baking boot camp. The goal is that you walk away feeling informed and inspired to try baking the goods yourself.
Because Bob’s Red Mill is a wealth of healthy grains and seeds, we’ll be taking a jog on the healthy-ish side this go-round with nutrient packed, get-up-and-go granola bars and energy balls. Follow #BarsAndBallsToTheWall for a serious power boost to get you through the rough and tumble months of late winter. We’ll be talking energy boosting bars and ball recipes over on my Instagram @bakingthegoods and my Facebook facebook.com/BakingTheGoods from now through February 9th. Hope to see you there!
I want to get a quick temperature read on how everybody is feeling. Are you still making smart and healthy choices like you vowed to do at the turn of the decade, or have you started to sink into your old habits again? I’m somewhere in the middle.
I’ve been running a fair amount despite the freezing rain and grey days. I’ve been going to yoga about twice a week, which I am feeling really good about it. I fell off the Dry January wagon a time or two, but it was worth it because I sincerely enjoyed a couple of cocktails with friends. Unfortunately, I’m not getting as much sleep as I’d promised myself I would, and my work schedule is already a bit bananas. But, I am slowly making smart choices to get me closer to where I want to be. One of the choices I am most excited about is always having a stockpile of healthy granola bars on hand, like these Seedy Almond Oat Bars.
I’m stocked up on these Seedy Almond Oat Bars these days, and I am loving it.
As a baker, you know I struggle with eating healthy. I mean, my house is constantly filled with sugary temptations and buttery wonders. I feel like I have pretty good self control, and I try and to always have a healthier homemade treat within reach. These Seedy Almond Oat Bars are the healthy alternative to cookies that I’ve been loading up on lately. Honestly, I’m not really missing the sweeter treats. These hearty granola bars have lots of textures and crave-able ingredients happening. They satisfy in a multitude of ways. These Seedy Almond Oat Bars are crunchy without crumbling to bits and chewy without feeling like it’s a full time job to finish one. This is the Goldilocks of granola bar recipes. Not too crunchy, not too chewy. Not too sweet, not too savory. Just right.
These Seedy Almond Oat Bars have all kinds of texture happening thanks to the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats, Bob’s Red Mill Sunflower Seeds, Bob’s Red Mill Shredded Coconut, Bob’s Red Mill Flaxseeds and the crunchy Bob’s Red Mill Millet Grain.
This recipe for Seedy Almond Oat Bars begins by lightly toasting Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats, Bob’s Red Mill Sunflower Seeds and raw almonds to deepen their naturally nutty flavors. Almond butter, honey and coconut oil bubble up together on the stove top to create a smooth and satiny binder that holds the Seedy Almond Oat Bars together.
More texture comes into play with chewy and naturally sweet Bob’s Red Mill Shredded Coconut. My recipe uses a scoop of Bob’s Red Mill Millet, an ancient grain that’s full of magnesium and adds a welcome crunchy pop. I added Bob’s Red Mill Flax Seeds for the health benefits. They are packed with protein and loaded with essential nutrients. Just ask Bob. He’s been putting them on his oatmeal every morning forever and he is fit as a fiddle at 90 years young!
There is a sprinkle of cinnamon and a splash of vanilla for added flavor points. Once formed into a quarter sized baking sheet, these Seedy Almond Oat Bars get a drizzle of melted, extra dark chocolate so you still feel like you’re getting a treat and not just gnawing on nuts. The dark chocolate is laced with a bit of espresso powder to psychologically kick start your mind into high gear and get you moving. And because I don’t do chocolate without salt, there is a good amount of crunchy, salty flakiness sprinkled on top. The salt helps to enhance all of the other flavors in these Seedy Almond Oat Bars.
The mix of hearty whole grains, immunity boosting seeds and healthy nut fats make these Seedy Almond Oat Bars the ideal pre or post workout snack. This healthy chewy granola bar recipe is simultaneously snacky, sweet, slightly savory and satisfying. You know, all of the S’s you want in a granola bar.
Wherever you are in your 2020 goals, keep after it, but remember to go easy on yourself. You’ve got this. And when you need an extra boost, you’ve got my power boosting recipe for Seedy Almond Oat Bars.
This post was made is in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. Follow Bob’s Red Mill on Instagram and Facebook or check out bobsredmill.com to shop their impressive lineup of whole grains, seeds, and so much more.
Thank you for supporting me and the brands that I love! <3
All the ingredients you’ll need for my Seedy Almond Oat Bars recipe.
Toasting the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats, pumpkin seeds and raw almonds gives them a deeper flavor.
Simmering the almond butter, honey and coconut oil together on the stove top creates a binder that holds the Seedy Almond Oat Bars together.
Once the almond butter mixture is warm and runny it gets mixed with the dry ingredients until everything is coated and sticky.
The texture of the Seedy Almond Oat Bars should be hearty. Every grain and seed should get coated with the almond butter mixture to help bind the bars together.
Once you’ve transferred the mixture to a parchment lined baking sheet, cover it with another sheet of parchment and place a second 1/4 sheet baking sheet on top. Then, press the top baking sheet evenly to compress the granola bar mixture into a solid and condensed sheet of granola goodness. If you don’t have a second baking sheet, you can the bottom of a measuring cup to press the mixture.
These Seedy Almond Oat Bars get a drizzle of melted, extra dark chocolate that tricks your mind into thinking you’re enjoying an indulgent treat when it’s actually pretty dang healthy. A bit of espresso powder psychologically kicks you into energy boosting gear to get you going!
Drizzling the Seedy Almond Oat Bars with melted dark chocolate and topping them with crunchy Bob’s Red Mill Millet and tender sea salt flakes is like the cherry on top.
Is this a textural dream? Nope it’s just a close up of my Seedy Almond Oat Bars, which just so happen to be both textural and dreamy.
Use the bottom layer of parchment paper to gently lift the entire Seedy Almond Oat Bars slab from the baking sheet for easy cutting.
Once the chocolate sets, slice that Seedy Almond Oat Bars slab into snackable bars and you’re ready to rock.
Stack up those Seedy Almond Oat Bars because they go fast, just like you will when you power up with one before a run.
Look at all of that energy boosting texture happening in these Seedy Almond Oat Bars.
Almond Oat Granola Bars
With a chewy bite and crunchy bits, these hearty and healthy Almond Oat Granola Bars are the Goldilocks of granola bars. Made with chewy rolled oats, shredded coconut, nutty almond butter, sweet honey, crunchy almonds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and millet they’ve got all kinds of textures and flavors happening. Then they get an indulgent drizzle of extra dark chocolate with a sprinkle of sea salt flakes to keep it real.
2 cups Gluten Free Rolled Oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup raw almonds (- roughly chopped)
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup millet
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1 cup almond butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt flakes (- divided)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup extra dark chocolate
1 teaspoon espresso powder
Preheat oven 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add oats, pumpkin seeds and chopped almonds. Toast for 7-9 minutes, until toasty, lightly golden and they start to give off a nutty aroma. Set aside to cool slightly.
Combine toasted oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, coconut, millet and flaxseeds in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
In a medium saucepan combine almond butter, honey and coconut oil and warm over medium heat. Simmer until runny and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon, vanilla and 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes.
Pour almond butter mixture over oat mixture. Use a spatula to stir together until well combined.
Transfer to a parchment paper lined 1/4 sheet sized baking sheet (or 9″x13″ cake pan) and use the spatula to evenly spread the mixture. Lay another sheet of parchment over the top, then use using another baking sheet, press down evenly over the top to condense the mixture into an even layer.
In a double boiler, heat the water to a simmer, then add the chocolate and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in espresso powder.
Drizzle melted chocolate over the granola, the sprinkle with a handful of millet, coconut and remaining sea salt flakes.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up.
Use the parchment paper to lift the granola bar layer from the baking sheet. Transfer to a cutting board and slice into 16 granola bars.
Either a 1/4 sheet sized baking sheet or 9″x13″ rectangular cake pan can be used for this recipe.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to one week.
Once sliced, granola bars may be placed in a plastic baggie or airtight container and stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.
The post Seedy Almond Oat Bars appeared first on Baking the Goods.
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