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We love oats for numerous reasons, some of which are affordability, versatility, and of course, the simplicity of using rolled oats as a standard base for any type of oatmeal bar or snack to satisfy all your cravings.
I would like to present a “basic” and very easy to put together version of a recipe that is infinitely changeable. Use this as a starting point, and then make small adjustments each time you do so until you find the perfect match for your tastes and goals.
Be sure to heat or soak the oats thoroughly: While horses and cattle can tolerate raw oats, we humans can’t. Our stomachs aren’t ready to break down fiber and nutrients until some of the work has been done for us. This can easily be done by “toasting” the oats in a warm, dry sauté pan for a few minutes, or on a flat baking sheet in the oven until light golden brown, and some of the oils start to release, add a little coconut oil to even out the heat. For the dip, find the right combination of flavors that works for you, some great ideas are mashed ripe bananas, peanut butter, honey, maple syrup, and of course your favorite milk.
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No Bake Oatmeal Bar Recipe
For safety and storage reasons, I recommend keeping the base vegan. There are some great recipes for oatmeal bars that add butter, tons of sugar, eggs, and milk, but (similar to scrambled eggs or a cup of milk) you’ll only want to eat them for a day or two after you’ve made them. . For a bar that stays fresh and edible longer, work with all the “shelf-stable” vegan ingredients sold on the dry shelves of your grocery store: dried fruit and nuts, honey, nut butters, etc.
Dry ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats (not steel cut, not instant)
- Lightly toast and reserve.
- 1 tablespoon. coconut oil
“wet” ingredients
- 2 cups coarsely chopped pitted medjool dates
- 1 cup crunchy nut butter
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (or any nuts you like)
- 1 tablespoon. Dear
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or any spice you like)
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Addresses
- Line a 9 x 9-inch or similar sized cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Toast 3 cups of rolled oats in the dry skillet until warm and lightly browned. Add the coconut oil, turn off the heat and continue mixing well.
- Blend all “wet” ingredients in a food processor until smooth and slightly crumbly. Mix more if you like smaller pieces in your bars, or less if you like large chunks, then microwave for 30 seconds.
- In a bowl, spoon toasted oats into wet ingredient mixture. Once you have a nice even mix, taste it and see what you’d like to add.
- Optional ingredients at this stage: chocolate chips, coarse salt, any spices you like.
- Pour mixture into parchment lined cake pan, level, smoothing top with spoon or rubber spatula while gently pressing down. Put covered in refrigerator for an hour. This gives the mixture time to settle and form.
- Flip the cake pan over onto the cutting board, cut into the size and shape you want, and enjoy!
Grades:
For best results, mix everything together while the oats are still hot after toasting. If the “wet mix” is too hard to work with, microwave it on high for 30 seconds, just to soften it up. Cut then wrap tightly into individual bars to keep fresh longer. And finally, always experiment and try new things every time you do it!
