In case you hadn’t noticed, I am big on making things from scratch around here.  And, if I can, I like to feed my kids something other than cereal in the mornings, but I often just need a simple, easy to grab meal in the mornings.  Enter this recipe for a cereal bar that you can make in any flavor you like.  Hope you like it as much as we do!

(Edit:  Because we can get certified gluten free oats now – YA-HOO! – I use generally use oats to make these now.  I have also made it with half GF oats and half quinoa flakes.  I find they hold together much more with the oats and taste extra yummy.)

The Recipe: Better Than Nutrigrain Bars, Gluten Free/Dairy Free

Ingredients

  • 3 cups quinoa flakes or certified gluten free rolled oats (or half of each)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup corn starch or arrowroot powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil or non-hydroginated shortening or glutne and dairy free margarine
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 teaspoons gluten free vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cups jam or jelly of choice , (I use fruit juice sweetened)

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and oil the parchment.  Set aside.
  • Put quinoa and/or oats into a blender and pulse until ground but still with some texture to it (mostly it will look like flour, but there will still be flakes and partial flakes in the flour.  I like a little texture in these bars.)  Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  Add the wet ingredients, except jam, to the dry and mix until well blended and formed into a cohesive ball.
  • Split the dough in half.  Firmly pat out half of the dough into an even layer onto the oiled parchment in the baking sheet.  Spread jam evenly onto the dough.  Warm the jam slightly if needed if it is too thick to spread evenly.
  • Lay another piece of parchment, waxed paper or plastic wrap on the counter.  Oil the parchment.  Pat out the other half of the dough into about the same size and shape as the bottom piece of dough.  Using the parchment, carefully flip the dough into the pan on top of the jam.  Gently pat the top piece of dough to remove any air bubbles.
  • Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until baked through and golden brown.  Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.