Breakfast Bars {Fully Loaded} - Celebrating Sweets
These wholesome breakfast bars are a cross between carrot cake and baked oatmeal. You’ll love the soft and chewy texture and the delicious combination of oats, dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips.
This is a healthier alternative to packaged bars and you can easily adapt the mix-ins and spices to suit your taste preferences. This recipe is made with pantry staples, making it a breakfast or snack that you can throw together any time.
Jump to:Why you’ll love this recipe
Ease: No fancy techniques or special equipment needed. This recipe comes together in minutes.
Flavor: Cinnamon, vanilla, dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate make an incredible flavor combo.
Texture: Chewy oats, crunchy nuts, creamy chocolate chips, and sticky bits of dried fruit.
Wholesome: These bars contain nutritious ingredients like carrots and oats along with heart healthy ingredients like olive oil, walnuts, and dark chocolate.
Easily adaptable: Use your favorite dried fruit, nuts, and spices to switch this recipe up.
Ingredients needed
This recipe does have a fairly long ingredient list – but, good news! – all the ingredients are pantry staples. I have made these bars on numerous occasions without making a trip to the store.
Ingredient options
Oats: Use instant oats (my preference) for moist cake-like bars. Use old fashioned/rolled oats for chewier bars.
Sweetener: Use pure maple syrup or honey as the sweetener along with light or dark brown sugar.
Nuts: Choose from walnuts, pecans, or sliced almonds or even a combination of nuts.
Dried fruit: Raisins, dried cherries, and dried cranberries are equally delicious.
Milk: Use dairy milk or plant based milk.
Spices: I use cinnamon and ginger but you can also use nutmeg, chai spice, pie spice, or a pinch of star anise or clove. Adjust to suit your taste.
Recipe overview
Whisk the wet ingredients (egg, milk, honey, vanilla, oil) and brown sugar.
Add the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and spices.
Stir in the carrots, dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into a lined and greased 8×8 pan and bake.
Serving and storage
Serving: These bars are best served warm (I heat individual servings in the microwave). If desired, top with nut butter and honey.
Storage: Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for 3 days, reheating before serving.
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Recipe
Breakfast Bars
These wholesome breakfast bars are a cross between carrot cake and baked oatmeal. You'll love the soft and chewy texture and the delicious combination of oats, dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips.
from 1 vote
Print Pin SaveSaved!Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 33 minutes
Servings: 9
Calories: 212kcal
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven. Line an 8×8 pan with foil and lightly grease it. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk oil, brown sugar, milk, syrup, egg, and vanilla. Add flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt, whisking until combined. Tap the excess batter off the whisk and remove it from the bowl. Add the carrots, dried cranberries, nuts, and chocolate chips and stir with a silicone spatula until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Bake for 17-20 minutes until the batter is set. The bars should look moist but the top should be dry or the tiniest bit sticky to the touch. Be sure not to overbake or the bars will dry out. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Oats: Use instant oats (my preference) for moist cake-like bars. Use old fashioned/rolled oats for chewier bars. Carrots: Grate carrots on the medium holes of a box grater. If desired, you can run a knife through the shredded carrots to prevent the pieces from being stringy. Serving: These bars are best served warm (I heat individual servings in the microwave). If desired, top with nut butter and honey. Storage: Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for 3 days, reheating before serving.Nutrition
Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1227IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
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