Healthy Strawberry Oat Squares with Homemade Jam

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Ever since I was a young girl, I have loved strawberry oat bars and I would often have Strawberry nutrigrain bars in my lunches. While these squares aren’t a nutri-grain bar, the taste is similar. I have made this popular square much healthier, cutting the sugar and butter by half, and of course, it is vegan too. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. You won’t be able to stop at just one. Or three!

Yield
16 squares
Prep Time
20 Minutes
Rest time
30 Minutes
Cook time
30 Minutes
Total Time
1 Hour, 20 Minutes

Ingredients:

For the oat base
  • 1.5 cups regular oats
  • 1 cup whole-grain Kamut flour (or mix of white and whole wheat)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup Sucanat sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1 chia egg (1 tbsp chia seeds+ 4 tbsp warm water, mixed)
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp Earth Balance, melted
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp almond milk
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds (for topping only)
For the strawberry chia seed jam
  • 2 & 1/4 cups chopped strawberries, finely chopped into 1/4 inch pieces OR approx 1 cup pre-made jam
  • 3-4 tbsp sugar, to taste (liquid or dry sweeteners will work)
  • 1-2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a square pan (I used a 9x9) with parchment paper and oil the sides of the pan and base.
  2. For the jam: In a medium sized pot, add the chopped strawberries and sugar. Heat over medium until the strawberries begin to sweat and it gets a bit watery. Once it cooks down a bit, add in the chia seeds, and stir well.
  3. Bring to a low boil and then simmer over low to medium heat for at least 10-15 minutes. Once it has thickened a bit, remove from heat, stir in the vanilla, and cool for 15-30 mins (you can pop it in the fridge or freezer to cool quicker). I like to add the mixture to a mini food processor and process it until mostly smooth.
  4. In a small bowl, mix the chia or flax egg and set aside.
  5. In a large bowl, mix the oat base dry ingredients: oats, flour, Sucanat/brown sugar, baking soda, salt.
  6. In a small bowl, mix the melted earth balance, maple syrup, almond milk, and chia egg. Stir well. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix well, using hands if necessary.
  7. Set aside 1/2 cup of the dough for the topping.
  8. Pour the oat mixture onto the square pan and press down with fingers. Use a pastry roller to smooth out if desired.
  9. Pour on the strawberry mixture and smooth out. Now sprinkle on the reserved 1/2 cup oat mixture and sprinkle on 1 tbsp of sesame seeds or coconut.
  10. Bake at 350°F for approximately 30 minutes. Allow to fully cool for at least 30-40 minutes before gently removing from pan. Slice and then store in a container in the fridge to keep firm.

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