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These healthy soft baked oat bars are SO good! A DIY homemade version of popular name brand ones! They’re easy, lightly sweetened & full of yummy peanut butter flavor. Perfect for breakfasts & snacks – and great for kids! (clean eating with extra protein!) ♡ healthy breakfast bars recipe. soft oatmeal bars healthy. peanut butter breakfast bars healthy. soft baked oatmeal bars easy recipe. peanut butter oatmeal snack bars. homemade oat bars recipe. soft baked oatmeal breakfast bars.

Soft-Baked Oat Bars

© Amy's Healthy Baking
Yields: 10 bars
Just like cookies can be crisp and crunchy or soft and chewy, so can oat bars! These wholesome, healthy oatmeal bars are perfect for breakfasts and snacks. They’ll keep for at least four days (if not closer to a week!) if stored in an air-tight container.
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Ingredients 

Instructions

  • Combine the raisins and water in a microwave-safe bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds. Let the raisins sit for at least 30 minutes to continue soaking up the liquid.
  • Preheat the oven to 300°F, and coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Add the raisins and remaining water to a food processor or blender, and pulse until fairly smooth. (There may be a few larger chunks remaining; that’s okay!)
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats and next 5 ingredients (through salt). In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy. Stir in the puréed raisins, agave, honey, and creamy peanut butter until smooth. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet in 3 parts, stirring after each addition until just incorporated.
  • Press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake at 300°F for 17-20 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn golden. Cool completely to room temperature before slicing into 10 bars.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure the oats and flours correctly using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either will dry out the bars and leave them cakey, bready, or dry, instead of soft and chewy.
 
IMPORTANT PAN SIZE NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Pan dimensions are measured along their top rims, not their bottom sides. Some square baking dishes have sloped sides, so they’re 9” across the top and closer to 8” across the bottom. If that’s true for your baking dish, it’s actually a 9”-square pan and too big for this recipe. Because it has a larger surface area (81 in2), your bars would turn out really thin, barely hold together, and be prone to overbaking.
 
OATS NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Instant oats are also known as “quick cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal.
 
In a pinch, to make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned rolled oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times or until the oats are about ¼ to ⅛ of their original size.
 
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free if needed) may also be substituted, but be very careful when measuring it because it tends to be more absorbent than wheat-based flours!
 
POWDERED PEANUT BUTTER NOTE: Powdered peanut butter is made from partially defatted peanuts. This means it’s lower fat, lower calorie, and higher protein compared to regular peanut butter or finely ground peanuts. (It kind of looks like tan cornstarch and has a similar ultra-fine, almost dusty texture.)
 
If you can find powdered peanut butter that contains nothing except peanuts (or peanuts and salt), that’s my top recommendation (such as PBfit Pure Peanut, PB2 Pure Peanut Butter Powder, or Crazy Richard’s 100% All Natural Peanut Powder).
 
I know it’s not always easy to locate, so more widely available products like PB2 Original or PBfit Original are decent second choices.
 
I don’t recommend making your own peanut flour or substituting almond flour. They don’t have the same powdery texture, so the mixture won’t have the same consistency.
 
TAPIOCA FLOUR NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: The tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch — they’re the same thing!) helps keep the bars soft. You can substitute 1 tablespoon of cornstarch for the 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour, if you prefer.
 
SWEETENER NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Pure maple syrup or agave may be substituted for the honey. Pure maple syrup may also be substituted for the agave. I don't recommend substituting honey for the agave; when using honey as the sole sweetener, the honey flavor can overwhelm the peanut flavor.
 
I generally don't recommend substituting sugar-free maple syrup. It's often water-based, which makes your oat bars turn out more cakey or bready.
 
CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER + ALTERNATIVES: This is my homemade creamy peanut butter recipe. You just need 5 minutes to make it! Do not substitute crunchy peanut butter.
 
GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: Use certified gluten-free instant oats (like these). For the gluten-free flour, use the following: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.
 
VEGAN OPTION: For a vegan version, substitute pure maple syrup or agave for the honey. Substitute ½ tablespoon Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for the egg white.
 
HOW TO STORE: Store leftover oat bars in an airtight container. They should keep for at least four days. (If refrigerated, they’ll keep longer!) These oat bars also freeze really well!
 
{gluten-free, dairy-free, clean eating, low fat, vegan option}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.