Basic Oatmeal Squares

Who wouldn’t want to wake up to one of these in the morning?  A great big thank you to our test kitchen and guest blogger, Amanda, for baking up these delicious squares. Here is some more information that she graciously typed one-handed while tending to her adorable new baby girl:

My husband said it was the best dessert ever…and then I told him this was a breakfast recipe and he went for seconds.  Super easy…made entirely with stuff on hand in my kitchen.  Mixing the nut butter in with the wet ingredients (was the trickiest part).  I might mix it into only half a cup of the milk before adding the rest.

Chia seeds are usually found by the health supplements in Whole Foods (or other grocery stores). Make sure to store flax and chia seeds in the fridge.  Interestingly, chia seeds are the same chia seeds from our chia pet days!

She also said that she didn’t add any dry sweetener because they were plenty sweet. Thank you to On the Glow, Amanda, and little Eleanor!  Enjoy!

Basic Oatmeal Squares – from On the Glow 

• 2 1/2 cups regular rolled oats (not instant oats), divided  (or substitute one cup for one cup of oat flour)
• 3 tbsp chia seed
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups almond milk (or other milk)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• 2 tbsp nut or seed butter
• 1 banana, chopped small
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• Dry sweetener, to taste if you want them a bit sweeter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8 inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper.

2. In a blender or food processor, blend/process 1 cup of the oats until a flour forms. Or you can just use 1 cup of oat flour.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: oat flour, 1.5 cups rolled oats, chia, flax, baking powder, salt, cinnamon. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: milk, syrup, nut/seed butter, banana, vanilla until no clumps remain. Add wet to dry and stir until combined. Add dry sweetener to taste if desired. Fold in any nuts or dried fruit that you desire.

4. Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth out. Bake for 35-40 minutes until lightly golden along edge and it springs back slowly when touched. I baked them for 40 minutes, but baking time may vary. Place pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes, carefully remove, and cool on rack before slicing.

Nutritional Info: (per square, makes 9 squares): 228 kcals, 9 grams fat, 110 mg sodium, 33 grams carbs, 7 grams fibre, 13 grams sugar, 6 grams protein.