Healthy Strawberry, Rhubarb & White Chocolate Chewy Breakfast Bars

The good news about being halfway productive this past weekend: I AM caught UP on recipe development! Actually I’m so caught up that I can take a weekend “off” from blog related recipes. This is basically unheard of. I’m usually 10,000 steps behind, always.

The bad news about being this productive with recipe development is that I’m so incredibly behind in the actual sharing/posting part that you’ll be eating soup in July. So there’s that. Nothing says cute like a little swamp butt at the dinner table. Oy vey.

Also: First official day of spring andddddd I’m like oh crap, now I really gotta start my new years resolutions to get into better shape. FML. Why does this always happen? I guess as the saying goes:

Some things just never change. Cheers to wearing sweatpants in July and wanting to kill myself.

But, oh wait. What is this? A recipe that is actually sort of ahead of itself? Yeah. That’s right. Healthy Strawberry, Rhubarb & White Chocolate Chewy Breakfast Bars. Perfect for produce that is about to be hitting your local markets verrryyyy soon.

Recipe Notes:

Feel free to get a little crazy with ingredients here. You can add toasted nuts, dried fruit, the works. Actually I can’t think of anything else you would want to add except for either of those….. Oh and maybe dark chocolate if White Chocolate isn’t healthy enough (okay maybe White Chocolate isn’t really healthy at all, but in this recipes defense there is no unnatural sugar aside from the white chocolate. Make sure you buy pure maple syrup so this rings true).

If rhubarb is not available then just substitute with raspberries, or all strawberries. Raspberries will give you more of a tart flavor that is closer to rhubarbs tartness. Unless your raspberries are fresh to death. Then you’ll just have a perfectly sweetened sauce. Still a solid choice regardless.

I add in the recipe that you should keep the bars in the fridge 2 hours before cutting/eating. It isn’t absolutely necessary, but just helps with the crumbling and the texture of the bars. Plus I prefer them cold. It helps bring out flavor and keeps them fresh for longer. I also like to freeze my squares individually which makes for a perfect on-the-go snack in the morning. And also helps prevent me from eating all 16 at once.

Healthy Strawberry, Rhubarb & White Chocolate Breakfast Bars

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time:  45 mins

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon squeezed)
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 cup strawberries, stems removed and quartered
• 1 cup rhubarb (about 2 stalks), stems removed and chopped into small pieces
• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp ground flax meal
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ cup shaved white chocolate + 2 tbsp more for sprinkling
• ¼ cup olive or coconut oil (two totally different flavors, you choose)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. First preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x9" baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Next in a small sauce pan over medium heat add lemon juice, water and 2 tbsp maple syrup. Bring to a boil and add strawberries and rhubarb. Mix together, bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium low, stirring frequently for about 8-10 minutes (or until both rhubarb and strawberries have completely softened).
3. Once berries are completely soft, turn heat off and very carefully using the back of a fork (or a potato masher) smash berries until consistency becomes more like a berry jam/sauce. Set aside and allow to cool until ready to use.
4. Next in a large bowl add your oats, sesame seeds, chia seeds, flax, salt and ¼ cup white chocolate. Mix. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl or cup add your oil, egg, peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk together. Add the wet ingredients into your dry oat bowl. Fold together.
6. Next add about ½ the oat mixture to the baking pan, spreading it out evenly over the bottom. Next add your berry sauce and spread out evenly. Top with he remaining oats, carefully spread (will be a little messy that's okay) and sprinkle with 2 tbsp shaved white chocolate.
7. Place in oven for about 30 minutes, or until top reaches a nice golden brown color.
8. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes) and then place in fridge for an additional 2 hours. Slice into squares and serve.

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