Made with 100% whole grains, these maple and brown sugar oatmeal squares are a wonderful option for a fast, cheap, healthy breakfast. They’re dense and super filling, and an awesome grab-and-go for busy mornings, or to take on a hike for a satiating boost of energy.
These are kind of like dense muffins, but baked all together like a cake and cut into squares. This makes the prep and clean-up much easier (I love muffins, but I hate filling and cleaning each individual cup!). The squares are a mixture of mostly oats, some whole wheat flour, maple syrup and brown sugar, nuts, milk, an egg, and a few other things. They’re packed full of fiber with just a touch of sweetness.
Oh, and they also have a streusel topping. Because… streusel. You can leave this out if you want to cut back on sugar :-)
I’ve been trying to eat more oats lately. I’m exclusively breastfeeding my daughter, Zoey, and I’m happy to say we’ve gone four months with not a drop of formula! My goal is to breastfeed her for a full year. But as she grows, so does her appetite. I’d heard that oats help increase breastmilk supply, and after a few days of eating oats every day, I noticed a difference. These bars make it easy to eat oats every day, and Zoey’s doing a lot better at eating more during each feeding.
They’ve also been super helpful this week for my husband in the mornings – he’s a teacher, and the last few weeks of school for a teacher are a rough gig. Having an easy, healthy breakfast takes the stress out of busy mornings and gives him energy to get through the day.
For a gluten-free option, substitute the whole wheat flour with oat flour. You can buy it at the store, or you can make your own simply by grinding up oats to your food processor.
Recipe for Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal Squares below!
| Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal Squares | Print |
- 1 egg
- 1.5 cups milk
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 2 tablespoons old fashioned oats
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, beat together egg, milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, baking soda, and melted butter with an electric mixer (or vigorously by hand with a whisk).
- Add the flour, stir until there are no dry parts.
- Add the oats and walnuts or pecans and fold in.
- Add mixture to prepared baking pan.
- Meanwhile, if you want the streusel topping, mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and sprinkle on top of the bars mixture.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until set and starting to brown.
- Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cut into squares.
- Store in an airtight container or wrapped individually in plastic wrap at room temperature for 3 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
For a dairy free version, substitute coconut oil for butter.
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