Raspberry Almond Oat Bars
Raspberry Almond Oat Bars are a healthier fruit dessert made with fresh juicy raspberries and a delicious almond oat crumb topping. This wholesome recipe is a favorite, because these tasty treats are easy to make and under 150 calories each!
A bewitching cross between a soft cookie bar and a streusel-topped crumb bar, these Raspberry Almond Oat Bars are the perfect use for the fresh raspberries that are so wonderfully sweet and juicy this time of year.
how to make this recipe
This recipe is actually made up of two mini recipes that mesh together to create a batch of hearty, flavorful, gluten-free & vegan bars. We start with raspberry jam. It’s only 3 ingredients and is super easy to whip up, but if you’d rather, feel free to use your favorite grocery store jam.
Next up, we’ve got the almond oat crust. The top and bottom crust of the bars come together in a blender or food processor and only requires 6 ingredients. To make the base of these oatmeal bars, I used almond flour/meal and Coach’s Oats because I knew I wanted to make these with whole grains so that they’d work as a quick grab-n-go breakfast idea.
You may remember my favorite oatmeal options made with Coach’s Oats. But if you haven’t heard of Coach’s Oats before, it’s your lucky day because these oats are absolutely wonderful. And technically, they’re not even oats, they are actually groats. Groats are an oat kernel with the hull removed.
Coach’s Oats are specially prepared by toasting the groats to bring out the natural sugars to the surface of the oat, then cracked into small pieces. This patented Cracked n’ Toasted™ process means that Coach’s Oats are never mushy, always naturally delicious and cook in just 3 to 5 minutes on a stove top or in the microwave.
This crust turned out so good, my kiddos were shoveling spoonfuls out of the food processor to “taste test”. We almost got to the point where so much of the dough was gone, I was getting a little worried that we weren’t going to have enough left to make the bars.
Once you’ve made the jam and crust, all that’s left to do is spread it out in an 8×8″ pan. The dough is a little tricky to work with, but I’ve found if you dampen your hands just a little, it’s way easier. I used a little over half of the crust mixture for the bottom, then used a spatula to evenly spread out all of the jam and last spooned out dollops of the leftover crust mixture over the top. Do the best you can to spread out the top crust, but don’t worry about making it perfect. I actually love that these oatmeal bars have a rustic, not so perfect, look.
Made with Coach’s Oats, almond flour, and a little added coconut sugar (the sweetness of the bars comes almost entirely from the fresh raspberries themselves), these healthy oatmeal bars are wholesome enough for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Try one warmed up with a dollop of Greek yogurt or a drizzle of almond butter. However, if you feel the need to garnish them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, you have my blessing!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #kimscravings on Instagram. Enjoy, friends!
Raspberry Almond Oat Bars
Ingredients
For the raspberry chia jam:
- 2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen*
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
For the bars:
- 1 cup Coach's Oats
- 1 cup almond meal/flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar**
- 1 tablespoon olive, avocado or melted coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
Make the jam:
- Add raspberries, maple syrup and chia seeds to a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Heat until the berries begin to release their liquid, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, about 5 -10 minutes. Use your spoon to break them apart, if desired.
- Once thickened, remove from heat and set aside.
Make the bars:
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. and prepare an 8x8 baking dish by lining it with a sheet of parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on the sides to allow for easy removal.
- Add the oats and almond flour to a high-speed blender or food processor and process on high for about 10 seconds, or until the oats have broken down into the consistency of a fine flour. Add the remaining crust ingredients and continue processing for about 20 - 30 seconds until a sticky dough begins to form. Stop and scrape down the sides as necessary.
- Transfer over half (about 2/3) of the dough into your prepared baking pan, using damp fingers or a damp spatula to ensure that it is pressed down tightly and evenly. The dough is sticky and using damp fingers work best. Spoon the chia jam over the crust, and use a spatula or knife to spread it evenly. Don't go right up against the pan (to prevent burning). Top with remaining dough by dropping it on top, and then using your spatula to spread them out.
- Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until the bars begin to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Use a sharp knife to cut them into individual bars and store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
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these look so so delicious. i may just make these when i meal prep tomorrow! thanks for the recipe!
if for no other reason that jam is enough of a reason to make the bars. Like YUMMM. thanks for sharing
What a delicious and healthy snack and that jam is to die for!
I love home made grab and go items like this. These sound so good – and healthy a bit, too. Yum!
Can’t get over how delicious these look and how they are made with healthy, wholesome ingredients too! 🙂
I like the sound and look of these oat bars. They area yummy and healthy snack. Will try this recipe.
Oh yum! I saw these on your Facebook page and they look amazing! I’m positively surprised that the recipe looks very easy as well. I must try these!
I can never say no to a good oats bar like this. The colors, the crunch everything is so perfect. More ways to use oats , the better. Love your photography.
I love oat bars, so I definitely have to try out! Your blog is great! I love your pictures and the videos! So professional! Love it!!!!
xx
http://www.pinkpepperparadise.com
LOVE the recipe! not to mention the pictures <#
We would love to feature some of your recipes on our blog too !
I love the color, it looks so tasty. The recipe looks doable, even for me…
Oh these look great! We are always looking for ways to mix up our oat bars and raspberries sound like such a fab way to add a little flavour!
That almond oats crust sounds so good! Not that I would turn down the raspberries:) Pinned!
These bars look so damn tasty! And the fact that they are actually low calorie just makes it better!
These look just fab! Ideal for a snack or to pack in the on the go lunch box x
That’s so lovely! I like oat bars because you can pretty much add any other ingredient that you like and they’re going to taste amazing. These ones are a must try, definitely!
OMG yum. Especially that raspberry chia jam pic
This recipe looks really delicious and it looks so simple to make. I will definitely try to make this and I am sure my kids will definitely love this.
I need to try this recipe out! It looks so good 🙂 A great healthier option for sure.
If you used peanut butter or almond butter couldn’t you drop the oil from the crust? I mean instead of the meal.
I think that replacing the oil with almond or peanut butter would work just fine.