Recipe: Baked Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Squares

Happy Labor Day! Here’s hoping all of you are enjoying some time away from real life and indulging or participating in something that makes you very, very happy.

Now onto the recipe.

Oatmeal chocolate chip squares. 50% breakfast, 50% dessert, 100% wonderful.

I know, I know – another oat-based recipe? Really, Vanessa? Yes, really. But! These squares are really tasty and so easy to throw together, I just had to share.

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are my kryptonite. Never have I ever been able to turn down their chewy and chocolatey goodness. This is my take on my favorite cookie, which just happens to be cruelty-free and a smidge healthier than the traditional recipe we all know so well.

While the flavor of flaked coconut is delicious , I used it more for the chewy quality it adds to the recipe. You can skip it if you want, but the texture is that much better when you don’t. Just sayin’.

Baked Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Squares

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 30 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

*Flax Egg Prep: mix 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal with 2 tablespoons water and set aside

Dry ingredients

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup oat or spelt flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon pink himalayan salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Wet ingredients

1/2 cup almond milk

3 tablespoons coconut sugar

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add-ins

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup coconut flakes

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

In a medium bowl, add wet ingredients and stir. Add in the flax egg you made at the beginning of this recipe.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until together until they are completely mixed.

Fold in chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate and flaked coconut.

Pour batter into baking dish, spreading out evenly.

Bake for 20-23 minutes. To make sure squares are completely done, poke with a toothpick – the toothpick will come out dry.

Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack for an additional 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Video: Top 5 Vegan Cookbooks for Beginners

Cookbooks Mentioned:

How It All Vegan, Tanya Barnard & Sarah Kramer

Isa Does It, Isa Chandra Moskowitz

The Kind Diet, Alicia Silverstone

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, Terry Hope Romero & Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Thrive, Brendan Brazier

Recipe: Granola for Grown-ups

Granola is the ultimate comfort food. Chewy, crunchy, sweet, salty, and easy to grab when you’re rushing out the door – perfect for the upcoming months if you or your little ones are heading back to school.

Of course kids will love this easy snack just as much as the big kids, so why am I claiming this particular granola is for grown-ups? Mostly because of one not-so-secret ingredient: blackstrap molasses.

Rich in iron, calcium, and magnesium, this rich syrup packs a whole lot of good stuff in every tiny serving. And even though this recipe only calls for a few tablespoons, a little bit goes a long way when it comes to the sweet licorice taste this syrup adds to the mix. It can be an acquired taste but the peanut butter and dried fruit balances everything out nicely. Enjoy!

Grown-up Granola

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 25-30 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Dry Ingredients

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup almonds, chopped

1/4 cup dried fruit (I used a mixture of dried berries and raisins)

2 tablespoons ground flax meal

2 tablespoons shredded coconut

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoon blackstrap molasses

1 tablespoon brown rice syrup

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Preheat oven to 350.

Line a 9×13 baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, add dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Then add in peanut butter, brown rice syrup, molasses, and coconut oil. Mix everything together until ingredients are evenly coated.

Pour mixture onto baking sheet, making sure to spread granola out so that it will cook evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Allow granola to cool in pan for about 10 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 15 more minutes before serving.

Enjoy with almond milk, on top of your favorite smoothie bowl, or straight from the pan – it’s all good!