Looking for healthy snack bars for toddlers and adults alike? Try these yummy oat bars for a quick and easy snack on the go! The recipe is sweetened with dates, containing no added sugar or salt. I use all-natural ingredients, including carrots, tangerine and almond butter for flavouring as well as hemp and flax to up the nutritional value.
A Toddler favourite!
I recently put this recipe together after my daughter went to town on store-bought granola bars. I’m not too fond of store-bought food, but life gets busy as a working mama. My daughter was going through an incredibly picky phase and refused pretty much all snacks. When she tasted the store-bought bar, she devoured it. She even asked for a seconds, which never happens. I decided I would try to make them myself, and I was lucky it worked on my first attempt. I am posting the recipe here because it’s an excellent discovery that any parent can make. You’ll need a food processor, a silicone baking sheet and about 10 minutes to prep and 40 minutes to bake. If you don’t have a silicone baking sheet, parchment paper also works. I do encourage you to pick up a silicone sheet because it’s a fantastic zero waste kitchen tool. You can also make a nut-free version that is safe for school kids by simply omitting the almond butter. I tested it and it works.
Safety for little eaters
Texture-wise these bars are identical to the store-bought kind recommended for children 12 months and older. I’d feel comfortable giving them to my daughter at a younger age, probably around eight months. You know your child best, so make sure that it feels safe to you when you offer it to them!
If you like this recipe, try my Golden Chickpea Coconut Stew which is another of my daughter’s favourite recipes!
Tangerine Carrot Oat Bars for Toddlers and Kids (Vegan/Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cup old-fashioned organic oats
- 1/2 cup hemp seeds
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 2 tangerines peeled, seeds removed
- 9 Medjool dates pits removed
- 1 1/4 tsp ground flax
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp almond butter Omit for nut-free version
- 2 tsp vanilla extract Optional: alcohol-free extract for kids
Instructions
Steam carrots
- Carrots should be lightly steamed or blanched to soften them.
Steam basket method
- Add 1 inch of water to a large pot and bring to a boil; place a steam basket inside and place carrots into the basket. Steam for two minutes, or until fork can easily puncture the carrots. Remove from the basket, let cool.
Microwave hack:
- In a glass bowl or measuring cup, add 2 inches of water and chopped carrots. Heat in the microwave over the medium setting for about four to five minutes, depending on the microwave.
Make oat bars
- Line a baking sheet with a clean silicone liner. Preheat the oven to 200°F, which is usually the lowest setting.
- Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until well incorporated. The texture should be sticky and grainy but not chunky or wet.
- Evenly spread the mixture over the silicone baking sheet until it stands at about a quarter of an inch thick. It will form a long rectangle. Use a spatula to even out the spread as much as possible. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and lift off the silicone liner. Let it cool for a minute or two. Use one hand to support the oat bar mixture and the other hand to peel off the silicone liner. Think of it as a fruit roll-up. The oat bar mixture should be able to peel off so that you can flip it over. If it's still sticking a lot, bake it a little longer. If you really can't flip it, cut it into sections and flip a few sections one by one. The goal is to flip the mixture to bake it on the other side. Once flipped, return the silicone liner back on the baking sheet and return it to the oven to bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the oat bars from the oven and cut them into small even rectangles. They will be easier to cut while hot. The recipe will make around 30 baby-sized bars (18g) or 15 adult-sized (36g).
- Store in a cool dry place for up to three days or in the refrigerator for a week or freeze them for up to six months.
