Healthy Strawberry Coconut Oat Bars
A delicious and healthy treat full of fresh strawberry flavor! These are perfect for serving to crowds or eating on the go. They also make an amazing breakfast! These are made with all whole grains and reduced sugar.
Servings: 16 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 8x8 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!
Notes
The ground ginger, lemon juice, and vanilla extract are all optional, but they add amazing flavor so I highly recommend using them.
For best results, dice the strawberries into very small pieces.
If you don't have coconut, feel free to skip it. You'll get strawberry oat bars that are just as delicious!
The cream cheese cubes are completely optional but I think the savory flavor really compliments the fresh sweetness of the strawberries.