Dark Chocolate Oat Bars

February 6, 2019 Amanda Plott

Dark. Chocolate. Oat. Bars.

These oat bars are delicious AND easy to make. Sure. They take 2 hours of chilling in the fridge, but so long as you can wait it out. These bad boys are basically fool proof. Plus, they’re ridiculously easy to make gluten-free with a simple swap of flours.

If you’re gluten-free, you know what to do here so I’m not even going to get into it.

With a handful of whole ingredients and right at 15 minutes of hands-on prep time, you can have these bars ready to go with minimal effort. Great for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or as a snack. Kids are going to love them. Adults are going to love them. They’re good stuff.

A fin mix of a granola bar and a cookie. But. With no baking required!

If you’re scared of not baking the flour, I’ve heard it mentioned before that you can zap your flour in the microwave for a few seconds to get it up to temperature and kill off any nasties that way. I haven’t researched that myself, so I have no idea if that factually is a thing though.

Yum

Dark Chocolate Oat Bars
TheSkinnyFork.com

These easy to make oat bars are perfect as a breakfast bite, a snack, or even dessert. Delicious and made with just a few ingredients! Keep them on hand and ready to enjoy any time.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes • Cook Time: 2 Hours

The Skinny:
Servings: 9 • Serving Size: 1 Bar • Calories: 384 • Fat: 24 g • Saturated Fat: 9 g • Carb: 36 g • Fiber: 1 g • Protein: 10 g • Sugar: 6 g • Sodium: 6 mg

Ingredients:
• 3 C. Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
• 1/2 C. All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 C. Tbsp. Maple Syrup or Honey
• 3/4 C. Almond Butter
• 3 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1/8 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
• 3/4 C. Dark Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Line an 8x8” square dish with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the 3 C. oats, 1/2 C. flour, 1/2 C. honey, 1/2 C. of the almond butter, 3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil, 1 Tsp. vanilla, and 1/8 Tsp. cinnamon.

Transfer half of the oat mixture to the bottom of the prepared dish and press down (using clean fingers, the back of a spoon, or a piece of parchment paper.)

Place the dish into the fridge to chill and set for at least 30 minutes.

Melt the 3/4 C. chocolate chips and the remaining 1/4 C. almond butter together over a double boiler.

Remove the dish from the fridge and pour the chocolate out over the oat mixture and spread evenly.

Place the dish back into the fridge to chill and set for at least an hour.

Once hardened, remove the dish from the fridge and top with the remaining half of the oat mixture. Again, press the oats using fingers, the back of a spoon, or parchment.

Return the dish to the fridge for at least another 30 minutes to harden.

When firm and harder, remove from the fridge and cut into 9 bars.

Store in the fridge and enjoy for up to 2 weeks!

Step-by-Step Photos:

Nutritional Claims: High Fiber • Low Sodium • Vegetarian • Pescatarian • Egg Free • Peanut Free • Soy Free • Fish Free • Shellfish Free • Pork Free • Red Meat Free • Crustacean Free • Celery Free • Mustard Free • Sesame Free • Lupine Free • Mollusk Free • Alcohol Free • Kosher

French Dip Bites + Au Jus

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Usually au jus can be complicated and time consuming. This one though? Easy breezy with no drippings required. Plus, being as its homemade, you get to decide how to season it! While the bites themselves are delicious the au jus is really the star of the show here…

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How can you go wrong with stuffed Jalapeños? Or cheese? Or bacon? The simple answer is… you can’t! These Jalapeños aren’t stuffed with any cheese though. Nope! They’re stuffed with none other than pimento cheese. Don’t know what that is? Well, you should! Pimento cheese is a southern staple that’s made with shredded cheese, pimentos, and a few other things. It can be used as a spread on a sandwich or even a dip for crackers…

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My daughter is a chocolate fiend. A real chocoholic. And brownies? They’re one of her favorites! I mean… who doesn’t like brownies? Especially when they’re still warm and fresh out of the oven? Brownies are not without their faults though. They are usually loaded with fat and sugar. No thank you…

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That is… until I decided to try my hand at making these lightened up Monster Cookies. So what is a ‘monster cookie’ anyway. Welp. It’s basically a monster of a cookie that has a little bit of everything in it. Usually they are peanut butter based and loaded with oats, chocolate chips, and candy-coated chocolates…

Cheesy Bacon & Pesto Potato Skins

January 17, 2019 Amanda Plott

This post has been sponsored by Moink. As always, all opinions are mine alone.

We’ve all made our New Year’s resolutions and now it’s time to continue sticking to them! This year, as with any year, my goal is to continue eating better and more health conscious. Eating ‘right’ can come in a lot of forms, and for me one way to do that this year is to start eating more ethically and simply.

These potato skins are just that. Simple. As simple as they can possibly be. From the potato to the bacon on top there is minimal ingredients used or time spent here! Another good thing about these potato skins? They’re great as a side dish OR as a hot appetizer. I’m thinking… game day spread. Oh, yeah!…