Extra Jam? ~ Make Fruit and Grain Cereal Bars

The inspiration for this recipe came from Country Momma Cooks. I changed four of the ingredients but the principal is the same, a healthier snack choice than those bars filled with high fructose corn syrup and such. These would also make an excellent breakfast "on the go".

Ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. old-fashioned oats
2 tbsp. crushed chia seed (originally: wheat bran)
1 c. coconut sugar (originally: brown sugar)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. coconut oil melted (originally: unsalted butter, melted)
1 egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup of jam, blended first if chunky (originally: 3/4 c. apple butter)

To begin, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13" pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, oats, chia, coconut sugar, cinnamon, sea salt and baking soda.

Add coconut oil, a beaten egg and vanilla. Stir by hand until combined.

Press half of the crust mixture into the pan

(you can see I didn't blend in the coconut oil as well as I should have but it had no effect).

Then, evenly spread the jam over the crust.

Why is my jam two-toned and weird looking? I started off using my sugar-free fig jam and ran out. Then I added some regular fig jam which is darker. I also noticed the chunks were too big. So, midway I blended the second half before I added that. How often does things like this happen to you?

The next step is to crumble the remaining mixture evenly over the top.

Gently press down and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Once cool, cut into 14 bars and wrap individually for convenience. I recommend refrigerating these to keep them nice and solid. They are delicious with a cup of milk and are very satisfying. You may also be interested in making our "Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars".

"Hearty foods are those in which there is an abundance of potential energy."

~ Prof. Atwater, Excerpt from Science in the Kitchen, 1893

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