Half the Sugar Baker
These healthy strawberry coconut oat bars are so delicious and easy to make. They are made with wholesome ingredients like rolled oats, whole wheat flour, coconut, and fresh strawberries. These make the perfect breakfast or simple snack, and I love the bright strawberry flavor. The mix of textures from the crispy topping to the juicy strawberries and buttery base is just amazing!
Ingredient Notes:
Old-fashioned rolled oats: It’s important that you use old fashioned rolled oats and not quick cook oats because they might fall apart while baking. The old-fashioned rolled oats also add a lot more texture. I love using rolled oats because they add some extra fiber to my baked goods. They’re also a great source of energy and whole grains.
Whole wheat flour: This recipe calls for whole wheat flour, but you could also substitute all purpose flour if you don’t have it. I love using whole wheat flour because it’s richer in nutrients and a source of whole grains. They also add a really nice deep and almost nutty flavor to baked goods.
Brown sugar: I like to use brown sugar in this recipe, but you could also use white sugar.
Greek yogurt: This recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of greek yogurt, which helps hold the oat mixture together. I find that without it, the mixture is too crumbly and tends to fall apart. I wanted to use greek yogurt to reduce the butter, but if you don’t have any, feel free to substitute additional melted butter.
Fresh strawberries: This recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries (roughly 15 ounces). I haven’t tried this with frozen strawberries, but I think it would work. Just remember to drain any excess melted juices or you might end up with a soggy base. I also recommend dicing the strawberries into tiny pieces.
Shredded coconut: I really like the texture and flavor of shredded coconut in these bars. It pairs really nicely with the strawberry flavor. If you don’t have any coconut, feel free to skip it. You’ll end up with healthy strawberry oat bars – which are just as delicious!
Cream cheese: The cream cheese is completely optional in this recipe, but I really like adding it because the savory creaminess compliments the fresh strawberries perfectly! All I do is chop 1/3 a block of cream cheese into tiny squares and arrange the over the strawberry layer. That’s it!
Technique Notes:
Before you make these bars, make sure to line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper. It’s important to leave two sides of the parchment overhanging the sides. This way when you’re done baking, you can use the overhang as handles to lift the bars out of the pan. If you don’t have a square 8×8 inch pan, you could also use a round 9 inch cake pan.
When assembling the bars, pour roughly 2/3 of the oat mixture into the prepared pan and press down firmly into an even layer. To do this, I like to use my hands because the mixture likes to stick to my spatula. Then sprinkle 1/4 cup of the shredded coconut on top of the base. Pour the diced strawberries on top of the coconut and try your best to spread into an even layer. Then sprinkle on the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded coconuts. Finally, sprinkle on top the remaining 1/3 of the oat mixture. There will probably be some strawberries showing underneath.
When done baking, it’s really important that you wait for the bars to cool completely to room temperature. This will make the bars much easier to slice into pieces, otherwise, warm bars might fall apart. I actually like to refrigerate my bars for 1-2 hours before slicing for really clean edges.
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Healthy Strawberry Coconut Oat Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour or sub all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar or sub granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger optional
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 3 tablespoons greek yogurt or sub additional melted unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, diced small around 15 ounces
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice optional
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or sub honey/maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut, divided or sub coconut flakes
- 3 ounces cream cheese, cut into tiny cubes completely optional
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350ºF. Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Leave the parchment paper overhanging on two sides so you can use them as a handle. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, ground ginger, and salt. Then add the melted butter and greek yogurt. Stir with a spatula or spoon until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the diced strawberries, cornstarch, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Add 2/3 of the oat mixture to the prepared baking pan and press down into an even layer using a spatula or your hands. Then sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded coconut on top. Add all of your strawberry mixture to the pan and spread into an even layer. If using the cream cheese, distribute the cubes on top of the strawberry layer. Then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup shredded coconut on top, followed by the remaining oat mixture.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Once done baking, remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack until room temperature. To make this go quicker, you can wait until the pan has cooled slightly and then transfer to the refrigerator.
- Once cooled, use the parchment paper handles to life the bars from the pan. Slice into your desired size (for 16 bars, slice into 4 sections on each side). Serve and enjoy!
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