
There are fancy squares and then there are not-so-fancy squares.
These are the not-so-fancy squares. In fact, they are downright boring, but the beauty is you can dress them up anyway you like. Just like a basic bowl of oatmeal, these squares can be changed up on a whim.
My goal was to make a basic everyday oatmeal square for on-the-go breakfasts or snack attacks. They aren’t super sweet or bursting with chocolate and fancy mix-ins, although, you could make them that way if you wanted too! Filled with flax, chia, and whole grains, it’s functional food at its finest. The nutritional stats are also impressive packing in 7 grams of fibre and 6 grams of protein per large square.
Despite eating half the batch, I actually made these for Eric (remember that guy who loathes oatmeal?). He’s been insanely busy with his new role at work and now spends the better part of his days trapped in meetings without any healthy food on hand.
His options in meetings are usually the following: 1) cookies the size of his face, 2) pizza, or 3) a muffin the size of his butt (which is cute and perfectly rounded).
While it’s true that he loathes traditional oatmeal, if I bake it up in a square he’s all over it. And by all over it, I mean he needed to slather Earth Balance all over the square before deeming it perfect. Like I said, these can be dressed up any way you want…

On The Glow Basic Oatmeal Squares
Think of this oatmeal square as basic baked oatmeal that can be dressed up any way you like. Each large square contains a tablespoon of flax and a teaspoon of chia seeds as well as 7 grams of fibre and 6 grams of protein. Feel free to add in nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, and other mix-ins as you desire. Just be careful about frozen fruit. When I made a trial with frozen blueberries they became quite soggy. Use fresh blueberries and you should be fine.
Yield: 9 large squares
Ingredients:
- 2.5 cups regular rolled oats (not instant oats), divided
- 3 tbsp chia seed
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp ground flax
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1.5 cups almond milk (or other milk)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
- 2 tbsp nut or seed butter
- 1 banana, chopped small
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- Dry sweetener, to taste if you want them a bit sweeter
1. Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8 inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper.
2. In a blender or food processor, blend/process 1 cup of the oats until a flour forms. Or you can just use 1 cup of oat flour.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: oat flour, 1.5 cups rolled oats, chia, flax, baking powder, salt, cinnamon. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: milk, syrup, nut/seed butter, banana, vanilla until no clumps remain. Add wet to dry and stir until combined. Add dry sweetener to taste if desired. Fold in any nuts or dried fruit that you desire.
4. Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth out. Bake for 35-40 minutes until lightly golden along edge and it springs back slowly when touched. I baked them for 40 minutes, but baking time may vary. Place pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes, carefully remove, and cool on rack before slicing.
Nutritional Info: (per square, makes 9 squares): 228 kcals, 9 grams fat, 110 mg sodium, 33 grams carbs, 7 grams fibre, 13 grams sugar, 6 grams protein.

The first trial I made was with frozen blueberries (above). Unfortunately they made the bars quite soggy (although tasty). Fresh blueberries would probably be a better option, so I will try that in the summer when they are in season. Sadly, that is a long time away…as I sit here watching a snow storm outside my window!
For the second batch, I left out the blueberries to see if I could get the consistency a bit better.

[Notice my hand writing is getting a bit neater? Ok not really, but I’m happy to say I now keep all my recipe trials in one notebook. No more scattered pages all over the house!]
Anywho, mix the dry ingredients together: ground flax, cinnamon, oats + oat flour (I ground up 1 cup of oats), chia seed, baking powder, and a touch of salt.

Then the wet ingredients: pure maple syrup, almond milk, vanilla, nut/seed butter, and a chopped banana. Feel free to use another milk, nut/seed butter, and liquid sweetener if desired.

Whisk together in another bowl, making sure to break up the nut/seed butter.

Add the wet to dry and mix well.
I planned on adding chocolate, but discovered that I was all out. How does that even happen?

Pour into an 8 inch square pan lined with two pieces of parchment paper.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, cool, and enjoy! I baked them for 40, but I have a feeling that baking time will vary depending on the brand of oats used. I’ve found that some rolled oats absorb more liquid than others. Just watch it closely after 35 minutes. When it slowly springs back up when you press it, it should be good to go.

These are very soft and fluffy with tiny bites of banana throughout. We found that they are a bit plain on their own, but I still managed to eat 3 in a row just to be sure. I like to slice the square in half and make a jam & sunflower seed butter sandwich.

Note to self: restock chocolate chip supply stat.
Have a wonderful Friday!







{ 205 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m patiently waiting for my dinner to come out of the oven and that first picture made me SALIVATE! Oatmeal square sammich with PB & J?! Yes, please!
Made these last night. Added some goji berries, raisins and currants on top, as well as tons more cinnamon. They were deeeeelish! Thanks for the recipe!
Those look delicious! I only just started reading your blog after seeing it in Fitness magazine’s favourite blogs, and I have to say, I got quite excited when I saw that big yellow cinnamon container and realized you too were Canadian!
haha go no name!
Enjoy Arizona, I LOVE Tucson, the hiking is amazing. I made these bars and they are great for filling you up. I did add chocolate chips, but I’m using these bars to break myself of a store bought muffin habit that started up at Christmas. And they are working. Thanks!
I made these last night but tried to add some Oomph! to them since you mentioned they were sort of plain. I zested a half a lemon into the wet ingredients, and upped the spiced to 1-1/2tsp Cinnamon, 1/2tsp Nutmeg, and about 1/8 tsp Ground Ginger.
I was also out of bananas, so I subbed in a 1/3C Unsweetened Apple Sauce, and switched out the Maple Syrup for 1/4C Honey (Marshmallow flavored!)
Thanks for the recipe/inspiration! They turned out fab!
YUM! These bars are simple, yet delicious! Not too sweet, and a tad bit chewy, topped with a dab of sunbutter and jam, made a delightful mid-morning snack. Thank you for the recipe! :o)
This just made my week! No joke! I eat oats every morning but getting sick of the same thing I CAN’T wait to try!
Wow! These are FANTASTIC!! I used 1 c spelt flour instead of the oat flour because my blender was wet. I also only used 2 T maple syrup and added 4 dates soaked in 1/3 c water – perfectly sweet! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! :-)
I made these oatmeal squares last night with soy butter and mini vegan chocolate chips. They’re amazing! What a great recipe!
Just made them added some dark chocolate chips. Upped the banana to two my oh my are thy good. I’m new to vegan baking just realized you can eat all the raw batter you want without salmonella worries Thanks for the recipe
Angela – 1. I love our blog.. it always gets me inspired and back on track if I’m wavering from my healthy eating habits. 2. These look delicious, I am totally making them tomorrow! 3. We are all about the contigo mugs as well – yay costco! 3. We buy the same maple syrup at independent/superstore – I can never believe how much cheaper it is than the others!! 4. I made your glow kale salad last week with the lightened lemon-tahini dressing.. wow, that recipe is genius! I couldn’t stop going back to the fridge and snacking on the pieces of kale with the dressing massaged in them! 5. I also tried the avocado pasta last week, wow as well! I used the base ‘dressing’ before adding avocado as a salad dressing the next day too, and it was amazing! it is now a staple in our house! 6. Your anxiety post about your steep hike is totally inspiring! I want to go and hike a huge mountain now… too bad it’s cold/rainy/bizarre winter right now! I once tore ligaments on a mountain top in Killarney Prov. Park (near Sudbury).. it was a 2-hr hike one way and they had to send an air ambulance for me! it’s quite the story.. lol!
Thanks again for your awesome blog and mind-blowingly delicious recipes! You are awesome!
omg, these look amazing. i am making them tonight… maybe peanut butter and chocolate chips in the middle!
Just made these and they are wonderful! All of your recipes are ;) How would you recommend storing them?
Angela
Thank you for the recipe. I just got braces and these are soft for eating with my sore teeth and also very delicious. Making a double batch now with a tad more PB2.com to give it a peanutty flavor.
Looks cute. Looks good and taste great
I just put a batch (with chocolate chips!) in the oven. I’m excited to have these as on-the-go breakfasts. I love your site!
This is the 3rd oatmeal square recipe I tried and I was starting to lose hope! NO MORE! Mmmmmmm….
I made these and they were just as you described – basic, not too sweet but oh so yummy! I love that they are so healthy – the perfect afternoon pick me up.
I just recently stumbled on your blog and I must say that I can’t get enough! I want to try all your recipes! I made your Weekend Glow Kale Salad tonight and plan to take it for lunch tomorrow – I’ll be sure to let you know what I think as it will be my first experience with kale. As a teen I worked at Bonanza and until just recently thought kale was only good as a salad bar garnish to cover up the ice!
Hi Angela,
These look fantastic — I can’t wait to try them! But what if, say, I wanted to add some cocoa powder to the recipe to make “On the Glow Basic CHOCOLATE Oatmeal Squares”? Would I need to decrease the amount of flour? If so, by how much?
Thank you for this and all of your amazing recipes!
Denise
Hey Denise, I’m not too sure, I probably owuldn’t decrease the flour by much, if any. I’d probably try adding a few tbsp cocoa powder, but you will likely have to increase the sweetener a bit since the powder is so bitter. let me know if you try them!
I made these over the weekend … they are wonderful! We ended up adding a little PB to them as “frosting” .. :) Love your recipes … Thanks for sharing!
I just made these and they are DIVINE! i added fresh blueberries and they are so good! I can’t wait to make a nut butter sandwich with them :). Thanks for all your recipes that are so delicious, and HEALTHY!
Is there anything you can sub for some of the flaxseed? I’m not opposed to them haha, im just almost out:(
Hmm I’m not too sure as the flax helps bind these a bit. I would suggest a bit of chia seed (although you wouldn’t need near as much since it absorbs so much more liquid than flax). Or maybe just use a bit of wheatgerm?
Angela, I made these the other day as muffins with walnuts and blackberries. My boyfriend and I ate them before a 12 mile run last night and he said he felt SO good that he wants to eat four of these before our next marathon. :-) I agree – definitely didn’t feel the normal energy dip!! Great recipe!
These are awesome! A friend shared some with me and I had to have the recipe. I used Coach’s Oats (you can buy them at Costco or on their website) and it gave them a very nice texture. I’m excited to have a healthy snack to grab during these crazy early breast feeding days!
I’m completely addicted to these Oatmeal Bars! Thank you so much for the delicious recipe!
Delish…so happy to have an alternative to oatmeal for breakfast!
Hi all:
1st time vistitor to this site and it rocks! Just made these granola bars but they have a kind of muffin-y consistency…… What have I done wrong?
Thanks!
They are supposed to be muffin like as it’s baked oatmeal squares. You didnt do anything wrong! :)
Glad you found the blog Rosie!
p.s. i added coconut, dried cranberry and choc chips to the recipe but other than those added ingredients, i followed the recipe to a ‘T’!
I’ve made these twice now and they are delicious!!! I substituted chopped apple for the banana because we were out, and it was SO YUMMY! Thank you for the awesome recipes :)
I live in Italy now and it’s impossible to get chia seeds here. Could I put flaxseed instead of chia seeds? Would the consistency be still ok?
Thanks!
Hi Angela!
These oatmeals squares are on my to-do list for this weekend, this is the first time I will try baking something ever! Wish me luck.
Your story has really inspired me and I am trying, one step at a time, to go from where I am now to a full vegan! I feel so good whenever I eat right and balanced that I still wonder why I don’t do it more often!
Thanks you and wish you all the best!
Hey Anne, I’m so happy to hear that! Goodluck with all your goals :)
these were AMAZING!
i added chopped dates,pumpkin seeds and shredded coconut. Replaced syrup with honey and used wholemeal flour ( because i couldn’t make oat flour) with 1/2 a cup of oat bran. They turned out perfect.
perfect complement to my green monster smoothie tomorrow morning! :p
I think I messed something up:( They turned out really doughy, not soft and fluffy at all. I used pre-made oat flour instead of grinding my own, maybe that was the problem? I cooked them for 40 minutes and a toothpick come out clean too. Don’t know…oh well, they still taste good and they are a great topping for the blueberry chia pudding:)
Not sure if this has been answered already (holy comments, batman!) but how do you store these? I’m also making them for my on-the-go man and I want to have them wrapped and ready to go but still fresh. Thanks!
Hey Lauren, You can wrap them and put them in the fridge or freeze them too. I like to double wrap them if freezing and place into a container.
I don’t know what I did wrong, but they turned out doughy and not very tasty at all. I had to throw the whole batch out! I checked them at 35 minutes and put them back for another 5. They knife came out clean. I was so disappointed.
Im so sorry to hear that Cathy! What kind of oats did you use and did you make any other changes to the recipe? They are supposed to turn out slightly doughy and dense.
I’ve made these twice and they are very dense and a little chewy…. not fluffy. I don’t really mind as they truly do hold me for the whole morning (I’m eating them for breakfast right now). I wouldn’t mind a little more fluff though. I’m using Quaker Old Fashioned Oats and did add a handful of chocolate chips.
Just pulled these babies out of the oven. The smell is enough to drive the household crazy. I cut them into 16. Ate a corner piece as it is cooling. They are dense and moist. Looking at the ingredients it’s to be expecte as the only source of oil is in seeds and nut butter. As well, chia seeds are just doing their job, absorbing liquid. Fabulous work Angela! I can’t wait to play around with add ins.
Wow! Thank you so much for this recipe. I just literally baked this and it’s awesome. I did substitute applesauce for the banana (I have tried to force myself to like bananas with no success). I also used coconut milk instead of almond milk because it was what I had. I love this recipe as I feel I could create all kinds of adaptations to it! It has a nice cake like texture to it (I’m hoping that is how they were supposed to be!)
Thank you again
Mmmm yum these are SO good! added 3/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup shredded coconut.
I tried to search the comments for this answer, but I didn’t see it. I apologize if it’s already been asked, but, can I use steelcut oats in this bar? Thanks!
Hey Elle, I’m sorry but I’m not sure as I haven’t tried it. If you do, let me know how it goes.
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