What’s your favorite grab-and-go breakfast? Have you ever tried baked oatmeal? It’s sort of dense, very soft, and very filling. The healthier apple oatmeal bars are made with oats and some add-ins like fruits and nuts. They make a great grab-and-go breakfast. I prefer to serve my oatmeal bars warm with a little coconut milk over the top. These oatmeal bars have apple, Greek yogurt and uses maple syrup instead of refined sugar.
Since I’m the wellness coordinator for my building at my day job, I was able to have a healthy food truck (Kickback Coffee) visit. She had lots of delicious food, from baked oatmeal to pork Bahn mi sandwiches. Her baked oatmeal bar was amazing and I had been craving it ever since!
AND she roasts her own coffee beans. I honestly haven’t had coffee that good in at least 9 years when I was in Italy! I can’t wait to have her come back!
If you are a fan of breakfast cookies, you’ll love my Healthy-ish Apple Oatmeal bars! They are soft, rich, and delicious, and totally customizable! Perfect for a grab-n-go breakfast!
Healthier Apple Oatmeal bars are easy to make, and so customizable!
I had leftover naughty granola that needed to be eaten, so I decided to use it to make baked oatmeal. *Omitting the granola and using more oats will make it even more “healthy-ier”. My naughty granola has lots of ingredients like apricots, nuts, coconut, and other delicious fixings mixed in, so it made my baked oatmeal even yummier! It was inspired by the book Dead Pirates of Cawsand, Blue Moon Investigations Book 5 ~ by Steve Higgs. Don’t worry, you can make this healthier apple oatmeal bar recipe without granola!
Healthier Baked Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Equipment
- 9X9 baking pan or 9×13
- large bowl
- whisk
- medium bowl *microwavable
- sharp knife
Ingredients
The Oats – Use 2 1/2 -3 cups of oats, or granola or a combination of both! It's up to you
- 2 cup oats *rolled oats (not quick cooking)
- 1 cup granola *Or use more oats for a more healthy-ier version of this recipe.
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp pumpkin pie spice Optional / or cinnamon, or apple pie spice
- ⅛ tsp salt a pinch
- 1 apple Large peeled and diced small, into 1/4” cubes
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ cup orange juice *optional, or use water
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 eggs large
- cooking spray oil
The add-ins /toppings are all optional and totally customizable!
- ½ cup almonds chopped
- ½ cup dried apricots diced
- ½ cup mixed raisins Or any dried fruit, cranberries, cherries
- ⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉
- Line your baking dish with parchment paper, leaving two long sides as handles to remove the bars after they have baked. Spray with baking spray or grease with some coconut oil, and set aside.
- Reserve some dry add-ins to sprinkle over the top, then add all the dry ingredients, oats, spices, and all of the dried optional ingredients you would like to a large bowl. Use your hands to break up any dried fruit that sticks together.
- In a medium-sized microwavable bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, water, 1 tbsp maple syrup, and OJ, and add the coconut oil.
- Microwave the wet ingredients in 30-second increments until warm.
- Add the vanilla to the wet ingredients.
- Taste and adjust for sweetness. *Add the second tbsp maple syrup if needed. If you used granola, it may be sweet enough.
- Crack the eggs into the wet ingredient bowl and whisk until frothy, then stir them into the oatmeal.
- Spread the oatmeal mixture evenly into the prepared pan and add any toppings. Press them gently down into the oatmeal.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes or until firm to the touch. *Allow it to cool in the pan for at least ten minutes.
- Either cut in the pan or use the parchment "handles" to remove the baked oatmeal to a cutting surface and cut into bars.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you love grab-and-go breakfast, try my chocolate chip cherry cookies, or my bacon peanut butter banana cookies!
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