Every time August begins, I wonder where the summer has gone. June and July always seem to fly by, even when my own schedule no longer relies on a school’s calendar. What’s sadder is that we have yet to go to the beach. We go to the pool and parks that are nearby, but the few times I’ve attempted the beach, it has just been too crowded and I couldn’t find parking. That’s the downside of living on the coast, it’s hard to enjoy the beach with the crowds during the warmer months.
Most of this summer has been spent juggling a kitchen and bathroom renovation (that is so close to being done, but at a standstill). Meanwhile, Dominik, at two and a half, is in full blown toddler/terrible two mode. In a desperate attempt to figure out how to get him to stop destroying things, flushing toys, and just being a maniac, I have been checking out as many parenting books from the library as I can find. Although I know this won’t be the case, I’m hoping that there’s a secret answer somewhere inside one of them.
Despite the toddlerness going on, he still loves to cook with me. Don’t get me wrong, cooking with a food-loving toddler is like trying to cook with a hungry and rabid raccoon. But he’s getting used to the steps in baking and remember what ingredients I typically use in a dish. As a foodie, I am very proud.
I’ve gone a little overboard this summer with blueberries. I missed them so much when they were not in season, that now that I see them everywhere, I’m buying them in the biggest containers I can find. We usually just eat them whole or thrown into oatmeal, but I’ve been trying out some more recipes with this super healthy berry.
These oat bars? Definitely a winner. I made a double batch of my Blueberry chia jam so I thought I would try to make some oat bars to have as a snack. I only had a few because my son and my sister gobbled them up, but I most definitely have to make these again, maybe next time with strawberries. These oat bars are sweet, gooey, and packed with blueberry flavor.
Blueberry Cinnamon Oat Bars
Ingredients:
- 1 cup oat flour
- 3/4 cup oats
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- Double batch of: Blueberry chia jam
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the blueberry jam (or use store bought) and set aside. Grease an 8 x 8 pan.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the coconut oil and maple syrup. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour and mix well. Reserve about 1/2-3/4 cup of the dough.
- Press the dough firmly into the bottom of the pan. Pour the jam on top. Sprinkle bits of the remaining dough over the top of the jam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown.
- Let cool completely. Refrigerate for at least an hour before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
