Schools about to start and I’m not great at early mornings. I just know me. I’m usually dragging my feet on anything I have to do before 8 a.m. So, I’ve been trying to come up with some healthy, make-ahead breakfasts or morning snacks that I feel good about giving Sylvia, (probably in the car,) before school. Plus I had a ton of left over oat bran from testing out my Healthy Sweet Potato and Date Bran Muffin recipe.
Here’s what you need:
The first thing I love about this recipe is that I literally did not have to make any special shopping trips for even a single ingredient. These are all pantry/fridge staples for me. I also love that these are super filling and not overly sweet. We buy snack bars all the time and I often feel that some are bordering on treat more than they are snack. If you cut this recipe into eight bars, it only comes to a half tablespoon of maple syrup per bar.
For the best crunch, chop the almonds and cranberries.
The most important trait of any self-respecting snack bar is a variety of textures! I prefer rough chopping the whole almonds by hand, rather than going for sliced or slivered almonds. It requires a bit more elbow grease, but the crunch is far superior. While you’re at it, chop the cranberries as well to evenly disperse them throughout the bars.
Those go into a bowl with the rest of the oats, oat bran, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and zest.
Give them a stir. Be mindful of the orange zest. It loves to clump together, so be sure to break it up well before pouring in the wet ingredients.
Next put the banana, egg, milk, maple syrup and vanilla into a food processor. Use as ripe of a banana as you can find. This will help it purée easily. And it’s sweeter. Use what ever type of milk you prefer. I’ve used both dairy and coconut milk and they both turned out delicious.
Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients and mix it up!
Take an 9 x 9 inch pan and spray it with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a square of parchment.
Finally, pour in the batter and use a rubber spatula or clean hands to gently press it out evenly to the edges and corners of the pan.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-33 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting.
Remove the entire square from the pan and place it on a cutting board to cut. In my opinion, cutting it into 6ths gives you the most perfect-sized bars, but you could take it a step further and do 9 slightly smaller bars.
Store in an airtight container or wrap individually for a quick and healthy snack or breakfast you can feel good about!
Other recipes to try:
- Crunchy Apple Pie Granola
- Easy Honey Cinnamon Muffins
- Banana Bread Baked Oats
- Blueberry, Lemon and Almond Baked Oats
- Coconut and Walnut Oatmeal Cookies
Healthy Cranberry-Almond Breakfast Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup oat bran
- 1 cup raw almonds chopped
- 3/4 cup cranberries chopped
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk or milk substitute
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oats, bran, almonds, cranberries, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and orange zest.Put the banana, egg, milk, maple and vanilla into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well.Spray an 9 x 9 pan with cooking spray and place a square of parchment in the bottom the pan. Pour in the batter and gently spread evenly, pressing to the corners. Bake for 30 minutes then allow to cool. Cut into equal sized bars. Keep bars in an airtight container or wrap individually.