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No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars (V + GF)

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Clearly I’m still on a chocolate + peanut butter kick. I. Can’t. Get. Enough. I’d like to blame the baby in my belly, but let’s be honest, who doesn’t jump at the opportunity to enjoy a chocolate PB treat?! And these No-Bake Chocolate PB Oat Bars? They’re the perfect mix of chocolate and peanut butter, and they’ve got a delicious texture thanks to the uncooked oats. They’re fairly low in sugar (compared to other similar bars) and packed with a bit of protein to boot.

This recipe comes together a bit like a no-bake cookie, but you won’t need to boil the chocolate mixture. Once you have all of your ingredients on hand, everything comes together pretty quickly – and easily – and the hardest part is waiting for them to set up in the fridge! I like to use natural peanut butter for these bars as it’s got no added sugar or oils, and it’s just so tasty!

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Coconut sugar is a low GI, unrefined sugar (that doesn’t taste like coconut!). It sweetens up these bars while also acting as a binder for the chocolate oat layer.

Natural peanut butter is nothing but ground up peanuts (and sometimes a little salt). No added oils or sugars.

Dutch process cocoa powder lends a deeper chocolate flavor and darker color to these bars.

Arrowroot starch helps thicken the chocolate mixture so it will set up in the refrigerator.

Yield: 16 Bars

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars (V + GF)

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars (V + GF)

An easy, no-bake bar made with lots of natural peanut butter, chocolate, and oats. Vegan and gluten-free, these delicious bars are perfect for many special diets.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Additional Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

Bars

  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil or vegan butter
  • 1 cup natural peanut butter
  • 1/8-1/4 tsp salt*
  • 1/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbsp arrowroot starch
  • 2 cups old fashioned oats

Chocolate + PB Topping

  • 3/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
  • 2 tsp coconut oil
  • 2-3 Tbsp natural peanut butter (to drizzle)

Instructions

  1. Prepare an 8x8" baking dish by spraying with non-stick spray (like olive oil) and lining with parchment paper, leaving excess paper hanging over two of the sides.
  2. In a medium saucepan, add the coconut sugar, coconut oil or vegan butter, peanut butter, and salt. Heat over medium heat until melted. Whisk in the cocoa powder and arrowroot starch. Continue heating until mixture is hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the oats. Firmly press mixture into the prepared baking dish. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, melt your chocolate chips and coconut oil until smooth. Remove bars from the refrigerator (they'll still be warm) and pour melted chocolate over the bars. Use a spatula to spread the chocolate evenly over the bars. Gently shake/tap your baking dish to smooth out the chocolate layer. Refrigerate bars until firm.
  4. Melt the 2-3 Tbsp of peanut butter. Use a spoon to drizzle over bars. Return bars to the refrigerator (optional) to allow peanut butter to set a bit.
  5. Allow bars to thaw at room temperature for 10-20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges without parchment paper, and then use the excess parchment paper to lift the bars up and out of your baking dish. Carefully slice into 16 squares, wiping your knife clean between each cut.
  6. Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let them thaw at room temp for a few minutes before enjoying!

Notes

*1/8 tsp if your PB is salted; 1/4 tsp if it's unsalted

You can use regular cocoa powder in place of the dutch process cocoa powder; the bars just won't be as deep in flavor/color

Corn starch or tapioca starch can be used in place of the arrowroot starch since you only need it to thicken the chocolate mixture

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 296Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 143mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 4gSugar: 12gProtein: 8g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Bars

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

Vegan Blueberry Lime Crumble Bars

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These better-for-you Blueberry Lime Crumble Bars are a little bit of summer in bar form! Bursting with fresh fruit and the sweetness of oatmeal cookies, these delicious, little bars are naturally vegan and can easily be made gluten-free by using your favorite GF all-purpose flour!

Vegan Blueberry Lime Crumble Bars

It’s been a long minute since I baked anything this fruit heavy – I’m basically on a permanent chocolate and cookie kick over here. But we love berries at our house. And blueberries have been on sale all summer, which means we’ve been hoarding an abundance of them in our fridge. Sometimes we don’t get to them in time before one of the little suckers starts to sprout a bit of fuzz, so instead of rushing to down a whole carton of blueberries, I’m baking them up in these easy Blueberry Lime Crumble Bars!

These bars are seriously simple. Plus, it will look like you spent more time on them than you will. You’ll whip up an easy dough that will be the base and topping for these bars. Then you’ll toss your blueberries in a few things, put it all together and throw it in the oven! I promise it really is that simple.

And they’re vegan and can easily be made gluten-free! In fact, my first recipe test for these was with an all-purpose GF flour blend. Totally delicious. The base of these bars is sweet and chewy and the blueberry lime filling is perfectly tart. The crumble adds a bit of texture and really rounds it all out. I love these so much I actually ate three of them the day I baked them, so I’m sure you’ll love them, too.

Some of the ingredients + substitutions for Blueberry Lime Crumble Bars:

Vegetable oil is necessary to hold the oatmeal cookie base and crumble together. Feel free to use melted coconut oil, melted vegan butter, or whatever liquid oil you’d like!

Coconut sugar is my go-to, low GI sweetener. It replaces regular granulated sugar 1:1, so, if you prefer, you can use your fave cane sugar instead (raw, brown, and white will all work!).

Maple syrup adds sweetness and moisture. Agave works well in its place!

All-purpose flour can be replaced with your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. OR you can use a ratio of 1/2 AP flour + 1/2 whole wheat or spelt flour for a healthier option.

Lime juice adds zest and a wonderful citrus flavor to these bars! Of course you can use lemon in its place.

Tapioca starch is a corn-free alternative to corn starch. It thickens the blueberry layer in these bars so you can cut them into clean bars without a ton of fruit juice leaking out. You can use corn starch instead, but you will halve the amount (I’ve added the exact amount to the ingredient list for you).

Yield: 16 Bars

Vegan Blueberry Lime Crumble Bars

Vegan Blueberry Lime Crumble Bars

Better-for-you Blueberry Lime Bars bursting with fresh fruit and the sweetness of oatmeal cookies! These delicious, little bars are naturally vegan and can easily be made gluten-free by using your favorite GF all-purpose flour!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Additional Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

Crust + Topping

  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil (liquid coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, etc)
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or white or brown granulated sugar)
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup (or agave)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup + 2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour (or GF all-purpose flour)
  • 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Blueberry Lime Layer

  • 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (rinsed and patted dry)
  • 2 Tbsp coconut sugar (or white or brown granulated sugar)
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • Zest from 3 limes
  • 4 1/2 tsp tapioca starch (or 2 1/4 tsp corn starch)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray an 8×8″ baking dish with olive oil – or other non-stick spray. Line sprayed dish with parchment paper, being sure to cut the piece long enough to leave “handles” hanging over two of the edges.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a large wooden spoon or spatula until just combined - it's okay if it's crumbly.
  3. Set aside 3/4 cup of the dough for your topping. Then, firmly press the rest of the dough into the bottom of your prepared baking dish; set aside.
  4. Rinse your fresh blueberries and pat dry (if you haven't already). In a medium bowl, combine the coconut sugar, lime juice, lime zest, and tapioca starch until no longer lumpy. Add the blueberries and mix until fruit is well coated.
  5. Add the blueberry mixture to your baking dish, spreading the fruit in an even layer. Be sure to scrape any extra liquid into the dish. Sprinkle the reserved 3/4 cup of dough over the blueberries.
  6. Bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes or until fruit is bubbling. Allow the bars to cool completely before removing from the dish. Using the parchment paper handles, gently lift the entire dessert up and out of the baking dish. Carefully slice into 16 squares.
  7. Store the bars in a sealed container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Bars can be frozen ahead of time and then thawed in the refrigerator – be sure to pop them in the oven for a couple of minutes to re-heat and serve fresh!

Notes

  • Feel free to replace the lime with lemon for Blueberry Lemon Bars. If you're looking for a less citrus-y dessert, leave out the zest.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 123Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 74mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 11gProtein: 1g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Bars

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

Healthier Banana Blueberry Muffins (dairy-free!)

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At our house, we love a good muffin. And what’s not to like about a banana muffin topped with sweet, crumbly oats and bursting with blueberries?! The best part is that these are low in sugar, and I use low GI coconut sugar + unrefined honey to sweeten these bad boys. And my picky toddler loves them! For real though. She’s hit or miss on fresh blueberries, but these muffins get her every time. It’s a win-win!

These muffins are so easy to get together. If you don’t have coconut sugar, you can use any granulated sugar. And if you only have all-purpose flour stocked in your pantry, then feel free to use only AP flour – I just prefer WWPF because it creates such a fluffy muffin! I throw in a bit of white whole wheat flour, too. It’s important that your ingredients are room temperature so your coconut oil stays liquid. And you don’t want to use frozen blueberries – I tried that once and ended up with blue muffins. Yes, the batter turned blue, and it wasn’t cute. Or appetizing. So fresh blueberries are the way to go! Happy baking!

Healthier Banana Blueberry Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Muffins
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 medium ripe bananas (1 cup mashed banana)
1/2 cup almond milk, room temp
2 large eggs, room temp
1/4 cup coconut oil, liquid
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat flour)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup + 1/4 cup fresh blueberries (washed and patted dry)
Oat Topping
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
2 Tbsp coconut sugar
2 Tbsp flour of your choice
2 Tbsp liquid coconut oil or melted vegan butter

1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your muffin pan by adding paper liners or spraying with olive oil/nonstick spray.

2.) In a medium bowl, combine the coconut sugar and honey. Mash your bananas and add to the sugar mixture. Add the almond milk, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract, and whisk with a fork until everything is totally combined.

3.) In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add 1 cup of the blueberries and gently toss. Pour liquid ingredients into dry and gently fold until no flour pockets remain.

4) Fill muffin pan nearly to the top. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of blueberries on top of the muffins, slightly pressing the fruit into the batter; set aside.

5) Make your oat topping by combining the oats, coconut sugar, flour, and oil/vegan butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the unbaked muffins.

6.) Bake your muffins at 350°F for 17-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean or with small crumbs. Let baked muffins rest in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Enjoy warm! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature, or in the refrigerator for a longer shelf life.

Vegan Tahini No-Bake Cookies

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No-bake cookies are one of those ultra simple, totally sweet cookies that just taste like home. I grew up eating no-bakes and even remember my mom waking up early when I was a kid to make them before she went to work. She always remembered to leave a small container of cookies for me and my siblings – I would have been heartbroken had she not. When I visited home during the first trimester of my pregnancy, no-bakes were one of the few foods I could stomach, and my mom happily made them for me! They’re just that good.

Now I’ve baked my own version of no-bake cookies using both coconut oil and coconut sugar and like them well enough. But then I decided to use vegan butter and add tahini in place of peanut butter, and OMG these cookies are freaking good. If you don’t like tahini, you can definitely use natural peanut butter, but the sesame adds such a unique flavor that pairs so well with the dark cocoa. I decided to use regular sugar in these because I was really looking for that traditional, almost-too-sweet no-bake cookie taste. But I’ll warn you, these cookies are addicting (and best eaten fresh!), so I recommend making them when you have somebody to help you eat them. Happy baking!

Vegan Tahini No-Bake Cookies
Makes ~18 cookies (with a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop)

1/4 cup vegan butter
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp dutch-process cocoa or special dark cocoa*
1/4 cup tahini
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (make sure yours are gluten-free if necessary)

1.) Prepare a baking sheet – or an area of counter – with parchment paper or wax paper; set aside. Measure out your tahini and get your vanilla extract and oats ready. Set out a mixing spoon or spatula and a cookie scoop.

2.) In a medium saucepan, whisk together the butter, almond milk, sugar, and cocoa powder over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a rolling boil – you want the entire pot to be very bubbly – and boil for 60 seconds, whisking constantly.

3). Immediately remove mixture from the heat and stir in the tahini and vanilla extract until totally combined. Stir in your oats. Scoop cookies onto parchment or wax paper and top with sesame seeds. Allow cookies to set (or don’t) and enjoy!

*regular cocoa powder will work just fine, but the chocolate flavor is elevated so much with the dark cocoa that I highly recommend using the dark. I made both versions, so you can at least see the difference for yourself!