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Holy sweet tooth settle down before I replace you with a veneer!! Mine is out of control right now, so I made a trip to the store to pick up some chocolate chips. One of my favorite sweet tooth fixes is about a tablespoon of chocolate chips with a couple dried cherries. It does the trick every time! So why not bring those two together for a sweet snack to help me out? :)
This new bar recipe comes at the perfect time. With the school year at it’s half way point, it is time for something new and exciting in my girls lunches. Something sweet, but still healthy and filling, and as always, easy to make. Two of our favorite snacks — homemade granola and quinoa protein bars collide to create this new and very tasty snack!
Oat flour is high in protein, fiber and iron, so I prefer to use this over rice flour when I’m making something gluten-free. Though, most flours should work well in this recipe, so feel free to substitute what works best for you. The same goes for the milk. I prefer Almond Milk since it’s one of the few non-dairy alternatives without carrageenan, but any milk would work.
Hope your sweet tooth is satisfied! Happy Friday.
| Chocolate Cherry Quinoa Bars |
|
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 1/2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/3 cup chopped dried cherries
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life Foods minis)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
- 3 dates, pitted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 350
- Add the oat flour, quinoa, cherries, chocolate and salt to a medium bowl.
- Add the almond milk, dates and vanilla extract to a blend until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix well.
- Lightly grease an 8×8 baking dish (I used coconut oil), and spread the batter evenly.
- Bake 25 – 30 mins, until light brown on top and cooked through
29 comments… read them below or add one
These look really good! Do you think I could use prunes instead of dates?
That should work great!
This recipe sounds delicious. I have been looking for snack recipes for my 2 year old who has issues going to the bathroom. Is oat flour less binding than regular flour? He can’t eat starchy foods; pasta and bread especially.
I use gluten-free oat flour. Many times gluten is linked to GI issues, so I hope this would be okay for him.
Oh these look so good!! Chocolate chips and cherries? I’m sold.
I feel the same way!
I am definitely going to try these this weekend and I think I am going to use cranberries instead of cherries. Thanks for sharing!
Hope you enjoy!
Looking so great. So yummy!!!
Thanks, Minnie! Have a great day!
I am so excited to try these and I just got home from the store thinking I had all the ingredients, but I forgot the dates! Do you think they would be ok without them?
The dates sweeten the batter, and it also helps bind everything since they are sticky. You could try adding 1/3 cup honey (or other sweetener) and an egg to replace the dates.
Thanks! I will just make a trip out tomorrow!
I am new to your blog and loving it so far!!!
We made these today and they’re scrumptious. Also plan to try again soon with fresh cherry pieces and cacao nibs to cut down on some sugar. Do you have to refrigerate these after baking, or can they be stored at room temp? Also, how long do they keep? Thanks!
My mother in law made these for our family this weekend. They were so yummy! She added shredded coconut to them. Great recipe
Do you have any nutrition information for these bars? Calories, fat, etc.?
I made these the say you posted the recipe. They are so good! I’m making some more tomorrow. We have been enjoying a lot of recipes from your sight!
Do you have the nutritional break down for these quinoa bars. They taste so good; I know I am going to make them part of my regular rotation. Thanks!
Just confirming that the chia seeds are added with the dry ingredients. I also think it would be interesting to let the chia seeds sit with the wet ingredients on the counter for an hour or so. Maybe you would end up with a chewy texture for the end result.
Yes, the chia seeds go in with the dry ingredients. If you add to the wet ingredients and set it sit you may need to add more liquid since the chia seeds will absorb so much. Enjoy!
Chocolate Cherry Quinoa Bars sound so amazing and healthy! Adding the Chia seeds will be great & keep you feeling full for even longer.
Can you use whole wheat flour instead of the oat flour?
Sure!
This sounds great! How long will these last before you would freeze them? THANK YOU!
They have not lasted more than three days in my house, so I’m not sure. I would guess anything over 3 – 4 days probably needs to be frozen. Enjoy!
Hi! I am new to your blog and loving it. I made these granola bars over the weekend. They seem to be pretty moist, especially after 3 days- did you find this as well? If not- can you think of anything I can do/add to avoid this? The only thing I can think of is to cook them longer. Thanks!
Sorry, Kait. I would try baking them longer next time. They should be moist, but not too wet. Hope they turn out better next time. Have a great day!
Wow those sound good! I’m already a huge quinoa fan but I’ve never tried baking with it. Just discovered your blog….love it!
These are so good! Completely forgot the Chia seeds (kids were helping!) and substituted maple syrup for the dates… Turned out great! Thanks!