Do you get obsessed when you find a new ingredient that you love? Right now I’m into baking with coconut oil and coconut sugar.
Do you bake with coconut sugar? If so, do you use it because of a particular health reason or because you like the flavor? I’m curious. It sounds like coconut sugar has some good benefits, but I don’t really have a strong opinion one way or the other. I’m just having fun experimenting with it, especially since I’ve had some successful recipes lately. I still bake mostly with white and brown sugars.
I recently ran out of the paleo chocolate chip cookies (which also includes coconut sugar) and I need a chocolate fix. I was about to make another batch but then I stumbled across this bar recipe. Variety is the the spice of life, right? Plus it gives me a good excuse to try another recipe that uses coconut sugar.
Theses bars are delicious! They are a tad “earthy, crunchy” if you compare them to a classic chocolate chip cookie bar. I know, you really shouldn’t try to make that comparison, but in my head everything should always be compared to the full fat bad for you comfort version. These bars don’t have loads (and loads) of butter which means it’s sort of like eating a bar cookie but without the guilt.
These bars are like an uber soft oatmeal cookie with a hint of almond flavor and lots of chocolate chips. If you’re looking to try something different then these are definitely a must-make. If you make sure your oats are gluten free then these are gluten free treats and you can keep them vegan if you have vegan chocolate chips or leave them out.
Almond Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Recipe
(Makes 16 bars)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup natural almond butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cups oat flour *
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons almond milk
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60% Cacao bitter sweet chocolate chips.)
* I used a little more than 1 and 1/4 cups of rolled oats and ground it in the Vitamix to make the oat flour.
Note: Per the source below, this is a vegan option if you use vegan friendly chocolate chips and gluten-free if you use gluten-free oats.
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the coconut sugar, almond butter, and vanilla extract. Set the wet ingredients aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour. oats, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and add the almond milk.
- Mix the ingredients together until just combined.
- Gently add in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake it for 22 to 26 minutes or until a pick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. A little bit of moist crumbs is okay.
- Let it cool completely in the pan and then gently remove to cut into the bars.
Source: Blissful Basil
