The first thing I saw when I turned on the TV today was a commercial for some sort of breakfast-oat-cookie-thing. I wanted one. So, I made some. Except mine are more like soft oat and nut bars instead of cookies.
I have made baked oatmeals, granola, and granola bar-like things before, but this time I wanted to create something soft and almost cake-like. The texture of these bars is somewhere between a soft oatmeal cookie and a piece of cake. They have all the goodness of oats and whole wheat flour, plus tons of nutty goodness, all of which makes them surprisingly filling.
Unlike cake or cookies, I didn’t make these soft oat and nut bars very sweet. They have just a hint of sweetness from the brown sugar and sweetened shredded coconut, but they’re definitely not dessert-like. You could easily add more sugar to make them into a sort-of-healthy type dessert or even add some dried fruit for extra sweetness. I happened to use plain soy milk to make these bars because that’s all I had in my fridge at the moment. You could definitely use dairy milk, although I think it’s slightly less sweet than soy milk, so you may want to add an extra tablespoon of sugar if you do so.
So, if you need breakfast on the go, try making these deliciously Soft Oat & Nut Bars to take with you on the road!
Soft Oat and Nut Bars
Servings 9Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats ($0.30)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour ($0.38)
- 1 tsp baking powder ($0.09)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 tsp cinnamon ($0.05)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar ($0.11)
- 1/4 cup room temperature butter ($0.58)
- 1 large egg ($0.17)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.28)
- 1 cup plain or vanilla soy milk ($0.41)
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts ($0.88)
- 1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut ($0.26)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until well combined.
- In a large bowl, beat together the brown sugar and butter until the mixture is light and creamy (about 2 minutes, medium speed). Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until light and creamy again (30 seconds to one minute).
- Add half of the oat and flour mixture and beat briefly, just until combined. Start on low speed to prevent the flour from flying out of the bowl.
- Add the soy milk and beat briefly again until smooth. Always start on low speed to prevent splashing. Add the rest of the flour and oat mixture, and beat until combined (only about 30 seconds).
- Add the chopped walnuts and coconut. Stir them into the batter. Pour the batter into a 9×9 inch greased casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow the bars to cool and then cut into 9 pieces. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 5-6 days, or freeze for extended storage.
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Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Oat Bars – Step by Step Photos
First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until well combined.
In a larger bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and creamy. Then, add the egg and vanilla (pictured) and beat again until creamy.
See how light, creamy, and whipped it looks after the egg and vanilla have been mixed in? The tiny bits of trapped air will help the end product be light and cake-like.
Add half of the flour and oat mixture. Beat them briefly, only about 30 seconds, until they are mixed together. Always start on low speed so that you don’t get a sudden cloud of flour spraying up in your face.
Add the milk and beat briefly again… (you REALLY want to start on low speeds with liquids)
Add the rest of the flour and oat mixture. Beat it again briefly until they are combined.
Finally, stir in the chopped walnuts and coconut.
Pour the batter into a 9×9 inch greased casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes.
Allow the bars to cool and then cut them into 9 equal sized pieces.
And then enjoy the heck out of them!
These bars are delicious! I did, however, make a few successful substitutions. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of sweetened soy, a “flax egg” instead of a real one, and semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of coconut. They are so cakey and delicious it feels like dessert. I may even try these with half of the sugar! It just seems too decadent for breakfast…
Made this yesterday and it tasted real good. (I didin’t use vanilla extract, though, coz i didn’t have any)
Literally was reading this in bed, realized it sounded delish, and got out of bed to make it. Took very little hands-on time, and came out great!
Yum–made these, too, and added all that coconut because we love it. Tossed in nuts and raisins, too. I like this a lot, in part because it has all the taste and less fat than oatmeal cookies
You just had to make something else awesome I have to try…
I think I shall add chocolate chips and try to get the picky child to try this.
Is there a way to calculate calories?
Check out my FAQ page for links to some websites that allow you to calculate recipe nutrition data.
Is it ok to replace the butter with coconut oil or vegetable oil?? I want to make it more healthier!:)
Yep, I would use coconut oil because it is closer in consistency to butter, plus I bet it will add a really great flavor! You might want to add a touch more salt, though, because my butter was salted.
If you want to make it healthier, definitely dont use vegetable oil. That stuff is terrible for you!
I also saw the commercial for the soft baked oat bars you are referring to and also wanted to make some. School is starting soon and breakfast has to be fast and on-the-go. I can’t wait to try this recipe. And just for the record, I love coconut!
I just wanted you to know that you inspire me with every e-mail. I want to make or do make a majority of the things you make. The recipes have always been successful and tasty! I think we are soul sisters with the cooking because our tastes are so similar. Thank you thank you! Can’t wait to make this recipe!
Aww, that’s so sweet! :D I’m always surprised at how many people have the same taste in food as me!
I made these for breakfast this morning! They were very soft and chewy. I did use 2% milk, because that is what I had on hand, and added about a teaspoon more sugar. That was plenty. I will make these again!! Thanks!
These look great! Perfect for a grab and go breakfast. I’m going to add dried cranberries since I have some on hand.
You are amazing. I was just thinking that I needed to find a recipe for something like this for our 14-hour road trip next week. And here it is!
(for the record, I love coconut!)
Funny that the first few comments are from coconut haters, myself included. It’s a testament to how awesome these bars look that I’m still going to make them!
Oh yeah, feel free to use any nut or dried fruit you like! Coconut is not at all integral to the structure :)
As soon as I get an oven, I am making *these.* Yes, ma’am!
I agree with the above question: how integral is coconut to the structure of the bar? I really can’t stand that texture.
I’m confident I can replace the walnuts with any other kind of nut (I don’t care for walnuts), but what about the coconut? I *REEEEEEALLY* don’t like the texture of coconut. How integral is it to the structure of the bar?
Yep, use any nut or dried fruit that you like! It won’t affect the batter or texture of the cake part :)