Thank you everyone for keeping the new bloggers coming! Our newest blogger is Laura, author of TWO vegan blogs: Cook to Love and The Breakfast Blog. Today she has given us a post from The Breakfast blog. Here she is in her own words, “My name is Laura. I am 30 years old, and I live in Houston, TX, where I blog about cooking and eating my way to a healthy, happy life. I love food, fitness, and all things vegan. Follow Laura on all her links: Cook to Love blog, The Breakfast Blog, Facebook: The Breakfast Blog, Cook to Love. Twitter: Cook to Love.
Do you like cereal bars?
I used to love them when I was a little girl.
But, now that I’m all grown up (or so I sometimes fancy myself to be), those flimsy, little, fruit-filled snacks no longer make the cut as far as breakfast is concerned. If I am going to break from my tried-and-true oatmeal routine for some kind of breakfast bar, it had better be a good one.
I like breakfast bars with attitude. They’ve got to have a little sass, if you know what I mean. They’ve got to be thick and rich enough to give an air of sweet, sinful indulgence. And bold enough to stand up to my morning coffee. Unashamed.
Sort of like a brownie. In breakfast clothing.
Of course, underneath that firecracker facade, any breakfast bar I am going to eat has to be chalk full of healthy ingredients. To fuel my long morning bike rides. Or runs.
I know it sounds like I’m being picky, but, you know how important breakfast is to me. Which is why I’ve come to expect so much from my breakfast bars.
And this one–this dark, rich, decadent, apple-filled treat–delivers. Because they are so moist and lush, these apple molasses bars, to me, feel more like brownies.
They’re lightly sweet, and if you choose to add raisins and walnuts (which I highly, highly recommend you do), they’re also soft, crunchy, and just a little gooey.
Apple Molasses Breakfast Bars (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Ener-G Egg Replacer for 2 eggs (1 tbsp Ener-G plus 1/4 cup warm water, whisked)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar or brown sugar (I used coconut palm sugar. These bars are not overly sweet, so you may want to add more sweetener, to taste.)
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2-3 tbsp nondairy milk, as needed (I used 3 tbsp.)
1 heaping cup peeled, chopped apple (the equivalent of 1 large or about 2 medium apples. I used 1 large honeycrisp apple.)
1/3 cup raisins (optional)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350, and line either an 8″x8″ or 9″x9″ pan with parchment.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, oats, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk together Ener-G “eggs,” applesauce, coconut oil, molasses, sugar, and vanilla.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and mix until well-combined. Fold in apples, raisins, and walnuts, if using.
Bake for 20-25 min., or until the center is firm.
Cool completely before serving. These bars keep well refrigerated in an air-tight container.
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