Flourless Oatmeal Almond Butter Bars. Vegan. GF.

 

Happy almost Friday!!!  While roasting up some butternut squash for soup tonight I thought I would make these oatmeal almond bars to stave off the chocolatey cravings that have been happening in my kitchen this week.  My oldest has started swimming and my youngest is ending her hockey season.  But food consumption is at a peak for sure. Do you notice this in your house?  I feel like I’ve been on a cycle of muffin/cookie making big time the past two weeks.  Maybe colder temps are driving up the appetites.

This bar recipe yields 8 rectangular pieces or 16 bite-sized cubes.  I drizzled some with melted vegan chocolate and some without as my husband is allergic.  Think of these as a bar/muffin combination.  Soft texture with filling ingredients that makes a great snack.  Carbs and protein to keep you fueled.
Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of flax seed meal mixed with 6 tablespoons of water – mixed & let sit 4 minutes.
1.75 cups of gluten free oats (Bob’s Redmill)
1/2 cup of coconut oil, melted
1 ripe banana
2 tablespoons of almond butter (Justin’s maple)
1/2 cup of coconut sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon almond extract
Optional:
Nuts of your choice
Vegan chocolate

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray your 8×8 glass pan with coconut oil spray.  Set your prepared pan aside.

Into your stand mixer with the paddle attached, add your flax egg (once it has sat for 4 – 6 minutes), oats, oil, banana and almond butter.  Blend.  Then add coconut sugar, soda, cinnamon and extract.  Blend again.

Pour your batter into your prepared pan.  If using nuts, sprinkle over top and press them down into the batter.  Bake for 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the top is golden.

Once cooled completely slice and serve.  If you wish to top with chocolate – take 1/4 cup of vegan chips and melt.  Drizzle over with a fork or whisk.  I store these bars in the refrigerator.  Again, they are soft not hard like a granola bar.

Oooooey and gooey deliciousness.

The week is quickly coming to a close.  Here’s a recap with one day left in my training week.

Sunday:  12 outdoor miles.
Monday: 5 treadmill miles/weights/core
Tuesday: 8 outdoor miles
Wednesday:  Rest day.
Thursday: 22 outdoor miles

— Knead to Cook