Breakfast Bars
A combination of nut butter, dried fruit, fruit preserves, oats, and lots of seeds makes these homemade breakfast bars the perfect filling morning bite.
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- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- Cooking spray
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked old-fashioned rolled oats (5 1/2 ounces; 156g)
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar (5/8 ounce; 20g)
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) honey, divided
- 5 medium pitted Medjool dates, roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 3/4 cup (180ml) unsweetened creamy sunflower butter, peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter
- 1/4 cup unsweetened dried blueberries, raisins, currents, chopped dried figs, or dried cranberries (1 3/4 ounce; 50g)
- 1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces; 45g) chia seeds
- 1/4 cup (1 3/8 ounces; 40g) hemp seeds
- 1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces; 36g) raw unsalted sunflower kernels
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) fruit preserves, such as blueberry, cherry, or raspberry
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- 1
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325°F(160℃). Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray; line bottom and sides with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set both aside.
- 2
In a medium bowl, stir oats, brown sugar, oil, and 2 tablespoons of the honey until well combined. Spread oat mixture evenly onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake, stirring every 5 minutes and returning to an even layer, until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 15 minutes.
- 3
While oats are cooling, in a food processor, process dates and seed or nut butter until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down sides of processor bowl as needed.
- 4
In a large bowl, stir together the cooled oats, sunflower butter mixture, dried fruit, chia seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower kernels, fruit preserves, salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon honey until well combined and the mixture holds together, 1 to 2 minutes.
- 5
Spread oat mixture firmly into the bottom of prepared baking pan, using bottom of a greased measuring cup to press into a flat even layer. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of oats mixture; wrap baking pan in additional plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold and firm, at least 8 hours or up to 3 days.
- 6
Remove and discard plastic. Using parchment overhang as handles, remove bars; place on a cutting board. Cut bars into 1 1/4- x 4-inch squares. Serve or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.