Busy morning? Ask the kids for their help to make these bars ahead of time for a easy morning breakfast or afternoon snack. You can store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days or wrap them individually and freeze them for up to three months.
What you’ll need
For the crust:
- Cooking spray
- 1 3/4 cups low-fat, low sugar granola
- 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
- 2 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
- 2 tbsp canola oil. *Feel free to try different oils here; sunflower, coconut, safflower oils are all healthy alternatives with mild flavors that won’t affect taste.
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1/2 cup pitted, coarsely chopped dates
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1/2 cup avocado
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1 cup frozen blueberries
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1 tbsp grated orange zest
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1 tsp cornstarch
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Put the granola in a food processor and pulse three times to break apart the large pieces. Or wrap in a cheese cloth and crush with a rolling pin. They should look like rolled oats after you’re done.
- In a large bowl, stir the granola with flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. After the dry ingredients are mixed, add the sour cream and oil.
- Using a large fork, blend the ingredients until it resembles pea-size crumbs.
- Separate the mixture into halves. Press the one half into the baking pan as the crust.
- Bake the crust for 20 minutes, or until slightly browned. Afterwards, let it cool to room temperature.
- While the crust is baking, in a blender or food processor blend the dates until smooth. Add the avocado, blend until smooth. Add the blueberries, orange zest, and cornstarch, blend until smooth.
- Spoon the filling onto the cooled crust and spread evenly. Sprinkle the reserved granola mixture over the filling. *Feel free to add extra favorites on top, like whole blueberries or nuts. *For this recipe, pumpkin seeds are our favorite addition. 😋
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until the topping is slightly browned and the filling is set.
- Let cool and enjoy!
Melt some dark chocolate, dip spoons and get your kids’ help drizzling designs and patterns on the top crust. You can do this with honey too. Before you cut, ask your kids which shape they prefer. Triangles, long rectangles, or cute squares are great options.
Original recipe courtesy of the American Heart Association. Makes 15 servings, serving size 1 square bar. Per serving: 152 calories, 4g of protein, 4g of fiber. *These substitutions or additions have been included from Children’s Hospital of Georgia staff. Any additional toppings, substitutions or changes in bar shape may affect nutritional information provided by the American Heart Association.
