‘A simple life is a beautiful life’ – one of our favourite quotes.
Blessed with another long weekend – we escaped down the coast for a weekend of surf, sunshine and collecting seashells together.
It was simple and perfect.
But before we packed our bags we baked these beautiful strawberry, coconut and oat bars.
And I’m so glad we did.
Mid drive – we needed a snack and these gorgeously golden strawberry studded bars filled little bellies beautifully.
The molten jammy stunningly sweet strawberries were the biggest hit with Grace and Harry.
So much so – they want another batch baked as soon as we arrive home.
With no egg or nuts – these bars make perfect lunch box treats.
And you can see just how easy they are to prepare below. These bars will take you a mere ten minutes to make before the oven steps in to bake them to golden perfection.
To make your own strawberry coconut and oat bars simply…
Begin by preheating your oven to 180 degrees celsius (350 F) and line a 20cm x 20cm square tin with baking paper. Set aside.
Place the milk, dates, bananas and vanilla into the large bowl of a food processor. Blitz until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add the wholemeal flour, baking powder and cinnamon and pulse 2-4 times, or until just combined.
Add the shredded coconut and oats and use a wooden spoon to stir to combine.
Prepare the strawberries by hulling each strawberry and slicing into quarters.
Add the strawberries to the bowl of your food processor and use a wooden spoon to stir until combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth. Top with a small handful of shredded coconut and oats. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and set.
Allow to cool in the tin. Remove and cut into 8 (or 16) bars.
strawberry coconut and oat bars
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 8 bars 1x
Description
strawberry coconut and oat bars
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
- 6 mejool dates, pitted
- 2 medium bananas
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (150 grams) wholemeal plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- 1 cup (60 grams) shredded (or decicated) unsweetened coconut, plus 2 tablespoons to decorate
- 1/2 cup (45 grams) rolled (traditional) oats, plus 2 tablespoons to decorate
- 1 cup (160 grams) fresh (or frozen) strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (350 F) and line a 20cm x 20cm slice tin with baking paper.
- Place the milk, dates, bananas and vanilla extract into the bowl of a food processor and blitz until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder and cinnamon and pulse to combine.
- Add the coconut and oats and use a wooden spoon to mix until combined. Add the strawberries and stir to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the remaining oats and coconut over the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and set. Allow to cool for 5 minutes or so in the tin before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares. Enjoy X
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
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This recipe looks delicious but we don’t eat dates. Could they be omitted from the recipe or substituted for something else?
Hi Mel – sorry I haven’t tested a date alternative so I don’t feel confident giving you one. My initial thoughts are prunes but I’m not 100% sure. Kayla xx
These look delicious! Just wanted to double check they can be frozen?
I made mine with almond milk and brown rice flour. They came out pretty soggy. I even baked them for 5 extra minutes. Any advise?
I haven’t tested them with brown rice flour – am thinking more time in the oven was needed. Or possibly more flour – did the batter seem a little wetter? Kayla x
Hi, I love your recipes. Can you please tell me what food processor you use?
Thank you! I use the Kenwood Multipro lovely xx
Wow these look amazing! Can they be made with frozen strawberries?
Yes absolutely. Just let them defrost first. Kayla xx
Could you use normal dates rather than mejool ones? These look amazing!
You can – just soak them in hot water for 10 minutes then drain and use. Otherwise your processor may struggle. Hope that helps xx
These look amazing!!! I was wondering if they could be frozen? Thank you 😊
These look amazing! We’re dairy free and gluten free. Could we substitute for gf flour and coconut milk? Tks
Yes – absolutely. A GF flour and coconut milk will work just as beautifully. Kayla xx
HI there.
can these sberry and coconut bars be frozen?
Thanks
Hi – yes they can! Kayla xx