Cherry Almond Oat Bars | TENDING the TABLE

Hello from Vermont! We arrived on Friday and have been busy hiking, swimming, hanging out, flying kites, jumping on trampolines and visiting all our favorite spots. It always feels good to be back. The fields are lush and green, the wind hums through the trees and the rivers are clear and cold. We’ve been looking at a piece of land out here for the past six months and were hoping that things would fall into place while we were here. We took a little hike through the woods to explore the property and were discouraged and disappointed by the condition of the land and have decided to keep looking. Suddenly, things feel very uncertain. Anders graduates in December and instead of having a home to move back to, we could do anything or go anywhere. Big transitions like these always feel daunting and having faith that things will work out is hard for me.

In the face of uncertainty I usually turn to baked goods for comfort. I made these bars a few weeks ago and am super excited to share the recipe with you. The flavors here are rich and nutty with almond extract and chocolate in addition to sweet summer cherries. The bars are gluten free, vegan and refined sugar free which means you can eat them for breakfast!

Enjoy.

Cherry Almond Oat Bars

Makes 8-10, 4×2 inch bars

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CRUST AND STREUSEL TOPPING

1/4 cup ground flax

1/4 cup warm water

2 cups almond meal

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1 tablespoon almond extract

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup oat flour

FOR THE FILLING

2 cups cherries, pitted

1/4 cup coconut sugar

zest and juice from one lime

1/2 cup chopped semisweet chocolate

PROCEDURE

FOR THE CRUST

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the ground flax and warm water in a small bowl and stir to combine. Let sit for a few minutes while you measure out the other ingredients. Combine the almond meal, coconut sugar, salt and baking powder in a food processor. Add the coconut oil, almond extract, and flax mixture. Blend until the mixture comes together. Separate out half of the dough (for the streusel topping) into a medium bowl, stir in the rolled oats and set aside. Add the oat four to the food processor with the remaining dough and mix until combined. Transfer the dough from the food processor into a 4×14-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough out with your fingers until it forms an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, pack the dough into the pan. Bake the crust for 15 minutes, until opaque and just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile prepare the filling.

FOR THE FILLING

Place the cherries in a food processor and pulse several times until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Add the coconut sugar, lime zest and juice and stir to combine.

TO ASSEMBLE THE BARS

Once the crust is cool, spread the cherries evenly in the pan. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate on top of the cherries. Crumble the streusel topping on the bars and bake for another 30-40 minutes or until the filling is beginning to bubble and the topping is golden brown.

Allow the bars to cool before removing from the pan and cutting.