A soft oaty bake filled with blueberry yumminess! These blueberry soft baked bars make a great on-the-go breakfast or handy snack. They taste like a treat, but are much better for you than your average shop bought snack bars.
When I first moved to the UK, one of the things I absolutely loved eating for breakfast were breakfast bars, specifically the soft baked kind with the fruity fillings. I loved the softness of the outer case and the sweetness of the jammy tasting filling. I hadn’t had one of those bars in years, but was recently reminded of them when I was scanning the supermarket snack isle. I had this overwhelming urge to recreate something similar, but with a healthier twist of course 😉
I always try to make a conscious effort to prepare a healthy breakfast in the morning to make sure I get a good nutrient boost first thing in the morning, but recently I’m finding breakfast a struggle. I’ve been so overwhelmed with work, clinic assessments and now an upcoming exam that I don’t feel I have much time in the morning (or mental energy) to spend on breakfast. So making a breakfast in advance is working best for me at the moment. I also know that many struggle with breakfast because they simply don’t have the time in the morning to throw something nourishing together. So making a batch of something like these oaty, chia, blueberry bars is a great time saver.
What you need to make these blueberry soft baked bars:
Oats – Ground into a flour, oats work really well as a flour alternative, especially when making breakfast/snack recipes.
Ground almonds – adds a bit more moisture to the dough without needing to add too much oil.
Maple syrup – a little to sweeten, but also to help bind the dough together.
Coconut oil – Also helps hold everything together, but also adds some moisture to the bake so the dough isn’t dry and cardboard like.
Ground flaxseed – a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseed also works really well as an egg alternative. You can use a regular egg if you don’t need the recipe to be vegan.
Blueberries – I always have blueberries in my freezer and try to add them to my breakfast everyday. They’re Low in sugar and packed with antioxidants. You can use frozen or fresh, however; frozen is cheaper and more convenient. It doesn’t have to be blueberries, any berry will work.
Chia seeds – another great source of omega-3 fatty acids. They also work really well to make a homemade jam alternative with less sugar.
The dough is made up of oats and ground almonds instead of flour, and the filling is packed full of blueberries and chia seeds. You can enjoy them cold, or they’re also really nice as a warm dessert served with a little bit of custard 😀
I recently made this raspberry almond baked oats recipe and so many of you seemed to like it, so I thought I would make another baked breakfast recipe. If you’re struggling to find a healthy convenient breakfast, then you NEED to give these blueberry soft baked bars a try 😀
Blueberry Soft Baked Bars
Ingredients
- 110 g oat flour oats ground up into a fine flour in a high-speed blender
- 50 g ground almonds
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 2 tbsp coconut oil melted
- 1 tbsp milled flaxseed or ground chia seeds
- 3 tbsp water
For the blueberry filling
- 200 g frozen blueberries other berries will also work
- 2.5 tbsp chia seeds
- 1-2 tbsp maple syrup or to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
To make the chia jam filling
- Add the blueberries to a small saucepan along with the maple syrup and lemon juice.
- Gently cook over a low/medium heat while mashing the blueberries with a wooden spoon.
- Once the blueberries are all mashed up, take off the heat and fold in the chia seeds. Leave to cool completely. The jam will set as it cools.
To make the dough
- Mix the milled flaxseed and water in a small bowl and leave to set for 10-15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oat flour, ground almonds, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Pour in the maple syrup, coconut oil and set flaxseed mixture. Mix to combine.
- Divide the dough in 2 and roll out between two sheets of parchment paper into a rectangle (about 1/4″ thickness) and cut off any ragged edges.
- Spread the set blueberry jam along the centre of each rectangle. Fold one side of the dough on top of the jam and press on it very gently, then fold the other side to enclose.
- Gently roll the log so the seam is on the bottom, then slice into 3 bars (you should have 6 bars in total)
- You can bake them in an air-fryer at 180C for 10-12 minutes.
- Alternatively you can bake them in a preheated oven at 180C/160C fan/350F for 20-25 minutes until the bars are golden brown.
- Leave to cool and enjoy!
Can you post the Arabic version?
Can you tell me if the Nutrition to information that you’ve listed at the bottom is for the entire quantity that will be made or for each individual oat bake as I need to look at foods that have less then 1g of Saturated fat because of Cholesterol.
Please could you tell me how many calories are in each one.
Thank you
I no longer calculate nutritional info, but you could use something like MyFitnessPal to work it out 🙂
Hi Nadia can you tell me if these are okay for a person who has cholesterol problems and has been told to not eat saturated fat higher than 1g please, also the Nutrition information that you’ve listed at the bottom is for the entire quantity that will be made or for each individual oat bake as I need to look at foods that have less then 1g of Saturated fat because of Cholesterol.
Any substitutions for almond flour? More oat flour? All purpose flour? Atta?
Also which oats are better to use for flour: whole or quick cook?
these look delish ! presumably I could use almond flour ?
Thank you 🙂 Almond flour isn’t the same as ground almonds. It’s difficult for me to get hold of almond flour and unfortunately I don’t have much experience with it, so I can’t say for sure if it will work the same in this recipe. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful ?x
Hello,
Just wondering what temperature the oven should be? Thank you!
180C/160C fan/350F ? x
Could I use pecans instead of almonds? Would it turn out the same?
Hi Ilah 🙂 Yes, ground pecans should also work as long as you blend them finely x
these look delish! preumably I can use almond flour instead of ground almonds ( I know they are virtually the same thing!) ?
It’s difficult for me to get hold of almond flour here in the UK so I always use ground almonds. I don’t have much experience with almond flour, so can’t say for sure it would the same. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful!
Thank you for sharing your hard work so generously. Do you know the calorie / protein / sugar etc content please.
Hi Girish 🙂 I no longer calculate the nutritional info, but you could use something like MyFitnessPal to calculate 🙂
Hi Nadia,
I’m really excited to try these!! I have 2 questions. The first is, about how many cups is 200 g of blueberries. I used to live in England, and baked using their measurements, but have completely forgotten a lot of the conversions. The second is, would avocado oil work in place of the coconut oil? I’m asking because I’m not sure it will solidify quite like the coconut oil (or butter) while it’s chilling.
These look so good! They remind me of those overly sweet bars that I used to eat as a teenager. I never even thought of making them at home.
Once I’m done fasting, I’m definitely making them! I love that they’re probably only slightly sweet 🙂
I never thought of making them either until recently and I realised how much I missed those bars! I tried not to add too much sweetener so they’re healthier but I now find I prefer treats that aren’t too sweet anyway 🙂 Hope you’re fasting is going well x
Ah, these remind me of the fig bars I used to be addicted to as a kid! However, yours look WAY tastier and fresher. I bet that they were so ooey-gooey and sweet when you just popped them out of the oven. Even if I burn my hands and tongue trying them right after they bake, it’d be SO worth it!
They look very tasty very healthy and light..I shall be trying ti make them and then tell you about the result..many thanks?
Hi, can I use honey instead of maple syrup? Maple syrup is extremely expensive in Kenya… Thanks much.
Hi, yes any liquid sweetener will work including honey 🙂
I made these this evening, and although they aren’t as neat looking as yours, they taste amazing! Thanks for sharing your recipes ?
Hi! Can I use whole meal flour instead of oat flour? Tks!
I haven’t tried it myself, but it should work 🙂
I cannot use any oil or vegan butter, as it is mainly oils added together. Could I sub almond butter or something else like applesauce for the oil in your recipe?
Thank you Miss Nadia for a WONDERFUL recipe. I made a few changes based on what I had available in my pantry. I quartered the recipe, left out the chia seeds, and substituted frozen whole cranberries for the blueberries. I will be writing this recipe in five or six locations just to be sure I do not lose it or misplace it. I have never had a dough work so easily. I have a toaster oven, so I preheated it—like you instructed—and simply used the bake mode. I set it to bake for 10 minutes, but pulled them out just before the timer was set to go off. I wish I could send you a picture. I rolled all the dough at once since it was such a small amount. I cut it into six even pieces. They turned out the size of store bought Newtons. I am so very amazed at how easily they worked up, the whole process. And, for anyone reading, 50grams of cranberries is about 1/2cup. I can see myself swapping out the filling for different family members…blueberries/cranberries for me and my daughter, strawberries for my aunt, apples and peaches for my sister, the list goes on. Again, thank you so very much.
These look just like a certain British cereal bar I used to eat almost every day! I will definitely try them out!
I used to eat them too! I wanted to make my own healthier version 🙂 Let me know if you try them Anna! x
Can these be frozen and cooked later?
Hi Kay 🙂 I haven’t tried freezing them, but they should keep well in the freezer! Let me know if you try them.
They work great frozen!
Thank you for your feedback Kay 😀 xx
These look amaaaaazing ..thank you
Let me know if you try them Jenny 🙂 x
Can applesauce be subbed for the oil?
I can’t tolerate any oils.
I haven’t tried applesauce to make this recipe, so I can’t really say for sure. Let me know if you do try it though x
I made these today! Delicious!
What is drizzeled on top of these?
I didn’t see anything listed..
Thanks For sharing your delicious recipes
So glad you enjoyed them Rhona 😀 I drizzled some runny peanut butter, just for photography purposes 🙂
Great recipe! They never last in my house ?
Aww so glad you and your family like them Cathy 😀 xx
I have made these for the first time to avoid having to buy shop-made versions as I’m trying to reduce UPF (ultra-processed food). I didn’t understand the rolling out between two sheets of parchment and probably got that wrong. Also, the jam didn’t set as such and remained quite runny but I couldn’t find my chia seeds so used unmilled flaxseed instead. So, they certainly didn’t look as neat and tidy as the picture, however, they have passed the taste test this morning with my hubby saying they’re delicious and are much tastier than the Belvita or Lidl own versions we’ve been consuming so far. As he has one every morning, making these will definitely not only be healthier but will also be cheaper! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
AWESOME
That favorite one, Keep posting like this
This looks so good to me! I’m hoping to make them for a friend who is dairy free and also allergic to nuts. Is there an adjustment I can make for the ground almonds?
Since coconut oil is so bad for cholesterol, can rapeseed oil be used instead?
Hi I don’t think Rapeseed is very could for colestrol either.
What a great alternative to cookie bars or snack bars out there even the healthier ones, I loved them but will cut back on chia, I really liked the golden colour you got on yours did you spray them or put anything on top? Thanks I will definitely make them again.
Just made it without baking powder because it doesn’t mention it in the instructions, only the ingredient list.
Just made these and they are delicious! So happy that I came across your recipe. I’ll be watching for more of your recipes. Thank you so much.!
Thank you for the good content you publish. I hope you continue like this.
I made it with homemade raspberry jam on my first try. Then I made it again with homemade strawberry and apple jam. The recipe is delicious. I found the dough easier to work with when I let it rest for a few minutes and let the liquid be absorbed by the dry ingredients.
Thank you!