Posted in Recipes on 13.08.2017
Baked Acai & Strawberry Oats
prep: 20 mins / cook: 25 mins / inactive: 0 mins / total: 45 mins / quantity: 8 bars Print recipe?
With Him leaving for work at around 6 each morning there really isn’t much time for anything other than a bleary “I love you/have a good day”, so breakfast is generally something Phil can grab and go with. And to make my life easier, something I can prepare in advance and have handily sitting in the freezer. My only stipulation is that it tastes just as good defrosted a few weeks later as it did the day I made it!
Phil’s a big fan of overnight oats – the kind in a jar that are all smooth and creamy. But just for a change of oaty pace I made what are essentially baked overnight oats – they’re still creamy but the egg sets them just nicely and the strawberries give them a wonderful moistness along with a nutty crunch from the … hmm, nuts I guess!
And for another change-up, sometimes he gets the chocolatey version – just as moist but with rich chocolate deliciousness.
All this in just one bowl too – can I get a hooray for saving on washing up?! If you’re making the chocolate version whisk the raw cacao powder into the eggs before adding the oats then add the chocolate chips at the same time as the strawberries.
You’re also looking for chunks of strawberries in your baked oats so don’t be tempted to cut them too small – you want a burst of strawberry in your mouth not strawberry mush!
Oh and that Mason Cash bowl up there – I’m pretty sure that’s older than me. Mum did NOT cook. I can’t stress the NOT bit enough. My childhood wasn’t deprived because mum’s idea of cooking was Findus Crispy Pancakes (showing my age there!) as my mum was the best in just about all ways. She just hated cooking with absolute passion. But that Mason Cash bowl is the only thing I have that mum would actually use for ‘cooking’ … if you count packet cake mixes and rice krispie cakes as cooking of course!
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Baked Acai & Strawberry Oats
prep: 20 mins / cook: 25 mins / inactive: 0 mins / total: 45 mins / quantity: 8 bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup pecan nuts
- 3 large bananas
- 3/4 cup almond milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tblsp coconut oil – melted and cooled
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 level tblsp acai berry powder
- 1 level tblsp maca powder (see note)
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 225g strawberries – stalks removed and roughly diced
Optional:
- 1 heaped tblsp raw cacao powder
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat oven to 160 Fan / 180 C / 350 F / Gas 4. Line an 8 x 8 inch baking dish or tin with parchment
- Put both the walnuts and pecans onto a baking tray and roast for 10 minutes till lightly golden
- In a large bowl break up the bananas into chunks then mash well with a fork. Crack in the eggs, beat together lightly with the fork then mix in the almond milk, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, acai powder, maca powder and optional cacao powder
- Stir in the oats, strawberries and toasted nuts and optional chocolate chips
- Pour into the prepared dish/tin and bake for 20-25 minutes until set and lightly golden on top
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting up
Notes
- The maca is not essential for flavour in this recipe - it's purely optional if you want to include it for its health benefits
- I always use raw cacao powder rather than cocoa powder - cacao is made by cold pressing unroasted beans and the process keeps the living enzymes in the powder and removes the fat. Cocoa looks the same but has been roasted at high temperatures which changes the molecular structure of the bean, reducing the enzyme content and lowering the overall nutritional value. Cacao is also known to have a higher antioxidant content than cocoa.
- Allow to cool completely before setting in the fridge then cutting into bars
- To freeze simply wrap in foil or place into a container with lid
2 Comments
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Hello there! I’m Sam, former Michelin star pastry chef and now your go-to vegan foodie on a mission to make plant-based eating a deliciously easy adventure! From cozy comfort foods to vibrant salads and decadent desserts, there’s something for everyone in my kitchen.
Whether you’re cooking for one or for a houseful I believe food doesn’t have to be complicated to be full of FLAVOUR and I want to show you how. I’ve been a rigorous meal planner for over a decade whilst embracing seasonal ingredients (because that’s where the real flavour is!)
I’m also a dedicated dog mum to Nooch and Baxter and enjoy cooking them homemade treats (many of which are posted here) when I’m not screaming at the tennis or devouring fantasy fiction.
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Thanks for introducing me to something new – maca root (powder). I found out that it has a lot of health benefits. And this baked oat bars has a lot of goodies – perfect breakfast snack.
Hi Allina, thank you so much for your comment! I discovered maca a few months ago and honestly haven’t looked back since! I plan to write some more detailed posts about all these weird and wonderful ingredients I use in many of my recipes but wanted to get the blog up and running first. Maca is probably my favourite ‘superfood’ so if you have any questions don’t be afraid to ask 🙂