Dark Chocolate Almond Oatmeal Bars
You’ve gotta try these healthy oatmeal bars, they’re naturally sweetened oatmeal cookie bars, layered with dark chocolate almond butter. A simple vegan cereal bar recipe!
Healthy Oatmeal Bars!
Let me introduce you to your new favorite snack. Or dessert. Or breakfast. Or, anytime you want really want chocolate but also the wholesomeness of oatmeal and almonds.
These bars don’t last too long in my house. I’ve been making a batch a few times a month and BL always bee-lines for them as soon as I set them in the fridge. If you’ve followed our story for any time, you know that BL doesn’t bee-line for everything. He’s particularly wary of anytime I use dessert and kinda healthy in the same sentence.
But these? These are a favorite.
A super simple vegan cereal bar recipe!
Thankfully, they are also easy to put together. If you’ve ever made any kind of cereal bar before, you can make these.
Combine the oats, flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, almond butter and spices together to make a dough. It should come together fairly easily, but you might need to add a little more almond butter/flour depending on what kind of oats you use and how runny your almond butter is. You’ll know it’s right when you can pinch off a piece with your hands.
Place half of that in a 8×8″ baking dish and press to form a thick layer. Pop that in the fridge to harden while you make the chocolate.
Oh yeah, the chocolate. See that ribbon of dark chocolate? That’s what takes these bars to a whole ‘nother layer of deliciousness. I used dark chocolate chips, but you could also use a combination of dark and milk chocolate if you prefer. Need to keep these vegan? Then be sure to select dairy-free chocolate chips. We love Enjoy Life dairy-free chips!
Melt the chocolate, spread on top and pop back into the fridge to harden. Don’t worry, it doesn’t take too long. You just need the chocolate firm enough to spread more of the almond-oat dough on top.
Top with the oat mixture, then place back in the fridge one last time to firm up. This is usually about the time when BL comes into the kitchen asking if they are done.
Patience grasshopper, patience.
Slice ’em and eat! Because these have coconut oil in them, you’ll want to store them in the fridge. If by some miracle you don’t eat all of them in a few days, wrap the bars in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for 2-3 minutes. Thaw before eating.
Watch how to make these Dark Chocolate Almond Oatmeal Bars!
Dark Chocolate Almond Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup oat flour or almond flour*
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 3/4 cup almond butter, divided (or other nut-butter)
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, flour, maple syrup, 1/2 cup almond butter, coconut oil, vanilla and cinnamon. The mixture should be sticky and clump together easily. If it’s too crumbly, add a bit more nut butter. If too wet, add in more oats/flour.
- Transfer half of the mixture into the baking pan and spread evenly. I like to use a piece of parchment paper to press down the mixture evenly, but a small rolling pin (or your fingers!) also works. Place in the fridge and let harden for at least 30 minutes.
- After the mixture has hardened in the fridge, melt the chocolate chips along with the remaining 1/4 cup almond butter in a double boiler or small pot over boiling water until creamy and smooth. Pour the chocolate on the oat layer and refrigerate until hardened, about 1 hour.
- Remove the chocolate layer from the fridge and place the remaining oat mixture on top. I think it’s easiest to crumble the the remaining dough all over the chocolate and press together. Place back in the fridge to harden, at least 30 more minutes.
- Slice into 9-12 bars (depending on what size bar you like). The bars will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
If you like these Healthy Oatmeal Bars, then you’ll want to try my vegan PB&J oatmeal Bars, Apple Pie Bars, Apple Pie Bars, Almond Joy Granola Bars, Almond Joy Granola Bars