So I needed something that I could send him out the door with in the morning, something that would hold together well in a lunchbox and more importantly something that I could throw together once or twice a week and not have to worry about sorting something out from scratch each morning.
These breakfast bars are perfect for the job.
They hold together perfectly and because they're dense and almost a little fudgy you don't need much to send you on your way during the day. They're not too sweet either which is perfect for my husband because he doesn't have much of a sweet tooth.
They're also the simplest and quickest bars ever to throw together and they keep really well in an airtight container.
You will need;
4 cups of rolled porridge oats, the quick cook variety.
1 cup coconut (I used dessicated and shredded is fine too)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup melted butter
1 cup warm jam (in this case raspberry)
Preheat your oven to 180C (350F or 160C fan assisted).
I measured out my butter and jam into a microwaveable dish and heated it for a minute to melt everything. I keep my jam in the fridge, but if you don't then you don't really need to worry about warming it, as long as you can mix it into the oats.
Put all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix until completely combined. This doesn't take long at all.
Press the mixture into a well greased (and lined if you prefer) 9 x 13 inch pan (10 x 12, a couple of 8 x 8's whatever you happen to have on hand) and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, the bars will be golden in colour and the jammy bits will have darkened slightly. Allow the bars to cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes before turning out and cutting with a sharp knife. I cut this batch into 15 bars, although I think cutting into 18 will still give a good sized bar. One of these is plenty for Chloe and I although Robert will happily munch through two at a time.
One the bars are completely cool, store them in an airtight container and use for breakfasts and lunches through the week, repeat as necessary.
I've tried these so far with raspberry jam and orange marmalade and both work really well. I think blackberry or bramble jelly would also work really well in these bars although if were to use strawberry I may cut the sugar down to 2/3 or 3/4 cup to help balance the sweetness.
I'll be making these today or tomorrow. I've been planning to make some king of breakfast bar with oats and strawberry (I think) preserves. I have all the ingredients, and there you go, putting the recipe right in my hand. :)
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ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about making something like this for a snack on my way to Uni - it takes an hour on the bus and our lunch isn't until 2pm! I have my brekkie at 7am so that's a long wait lol. Thanks for this recipe :-)
ReplyDeleteLeanne, have you ever had any trouble with them setting up? I made some with strawberry preserves and they've been out of the oven for an hour or so, but they aren't holding together as bars. They taste great, though.
ReplyDeleteI used old-fashioned oats instead of quick-cooking, and I cut back the brown sugar to 3/4 cup. I don't think the oats are the problem. I think maybe the additional 1/4 cup of sugar might be needed to caramelize with the butter enough to hold it all together. What do you think?
If nothing else, we'll eat these with a spoon, maybe even with a little milk or half-and-half over them. And I'll definitely be trying them again.