Tag Archives: oats

Peanut Butter Polka Dot Bars

Posted on April 26, 2012 | 26 Comments

Thanks for all the birthday wishes to my 7 year old yesterday! I let him read my post from yesterday, and he got a huge smile on his face. He is shy, but loved being the center of attention for a day.

As promised today I bring you what he chose for his birthday treat. He isn’t much of a cake kid, so I knew that wouldn’t be his choice. I showed him probably 100 desserts from my Pinterest boards, and let him pick. He knew he wanted peanut butter and chocolate (takes after his mom), so at least we narrowed the choices a little. In the end, I think it was the Reese’s Pieces that won him over.

Unfortunately I waited until the last minute to make these, and the store I went to did not have mini Reese’s Pieces candies. So I had to go with the full sized version. I am sure they taste the same, you just don’t get the full “polka dot” effect. He had a tiny one after dinner last night, and said he made a good choice. Really, how can you go wrong with peanut butter, oats and chocolate? He picked his birthday dinner to be at Red Robin, and wanted them to sing to him this year, so he filled up on ice cream before we got home. Looks like the teachers or my husbands co-workers are going to benefit tomorrow

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Posted in Desserts

Tagged bars, candy, chocolate, Desserts, oats, peanut butter, reese's pieces

Granola Bars

Posted on January 27, 2012 | 57 Comments

My 6 year old takes cold lunch almost every day to school. I am always on the look out for healthier snacks and treats I can put in his lunch. The kid would live on crackers for snacks if I would let him. He is hit or miss with the store bought granola bars, so I have been on a mission to make a healthy granola bar at home that he will eat. Well I have done it! He has even asked that he have this for the dessert in his lunch! If you follow me on facebook you may remember me mentioning these the other day. They are super addicting, I was having a hard time staying away from them! Kind of defeats the purpose of a healthier snack if you eat twice as much

Tropical Traditions sent me a giant jar of coconut oil to try out. That stuff is amazing! I have used coconut oil in the past, and the smell is just wonderful. You get a hint of coconut in what you are making, which is perfect this time of year when everyone is longing for warmer weather. I decided to make granola bars with the coconut oil, instead of butter. Best. Decision. Ever. (OK, maybe not EVER, but you get the idea) Seriously, pick up a jar today and make these!

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Posted in Snacks

Tagged chocolate, coconut oil, granola bars, oats, peanut butter

Honey Oat Bread

Posted on June 13, 2011 | 56 Comments

I love fresh bread, who doesn’t? There is just something about bread out of the oven that makes it better than anything else. So when I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, I was sold. There is NO KNEADING!!! Yes you read that right, this bread is amazing and there is no kneading involved. Yes there is yeast, but still, the kneading is the worst part for me. I never do it long enough, or too long, it is always a struggle.

I made this when we had some friends over the other night. Everyone loved it. The kids all had multiple slices too! It was light, with a little bit of sweet, it was just perfect. And it has Oatmeal in it, so it has to be healthy, right? I am always hearing how I should eat more Oats! This calls for all-purpose flour which is what I used. Next time I think I will try ½ all purpose, ½ whole wheat. My husband said it would be a good bread to mix in some nuts into.

Honey-Oat Bread

Recipe from Bon Appetit

Printable Recipe

1 ¾ cup warm water

1 Tbls Active Dry Yeast

¾ cups quick-cooking oats

1/3 cup honey

3 Tbls Canola Oil

2 ½ tsp salt

5 cups (about) all purpose flour

1 large egg, beaten

2 Tbls additional oats

Sprinkle the yeast over the water, and let set for 10 minutes until frothy. In a large bowl mix together the oats, honey, oil and salt, and the water. Stir in enough of the flour to form a soft dough (I started with 4 ½ cups and went from there). Coat a large bowl with non-stick spray. Transfer dough the bowl and turn it over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel. Let rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in volume.

Punch the dough down, and shape into 2 loaves. I just free formed 2 loaves on a baking sheet. But you could use loaf pans if you wanted (this is actually what the recipe calls for). Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.

Brush the top of the loaves with egg, and sprinkle with the additional oats. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. When you knock on the bottom of the bread and it sounds hollow, it is done.

Top with butter, or honey for a delicious side to any meal!