“I’ve officially polished off my ‘postpartum’ Glo Bar stash.” This is what I wrote on Snapchat early in September to accompany a photo of me gobbling up my last lonely bar from the freezer. I had overestimated my self-control at 9 months pregnant just a tad, thinking I could stock the freezer a month early with Glo Bars so I would have them handy to bring to the hospital and to enjoy once home. Fool! Here is my not-so-spoiler alert: I have zero self-control when there’s a food I love in the house. Obviously. So I made another couple batches (oh darn), only this time I waited until I was ready to pop (a.k.a.…right now).
I’m really excited to share this Glo Bar recipe today because not only is it crazy delicious and a cinch to throw together, but these bars contain ingredients that are thought to help boost milk supply in breastfeeding mamas (such as oats, flax, sesame, and coconut). Don’t worry, though, anyone can enjoy these bars. In fact, Eric assures me that his cup size hasn’t increased one bit since becoming a fan himself.
Another thing I love about these Glo Bars is that they are nut-free; when I was nursing Adriana in the early days, I suspected that when I ate nuts it caused her to be fussy. This can also be true for chocolate, so I purposely left that out of this recipe, as well (just in case). If nuts and chocolate aren’t an issue for you, though, feel free to tweak the mix-ins to your heart’s content. Another bonus of using seeds over nuts is that seeds tend to be a bit more wallet-friendly. This year, I’ve really gotten into using sunflower seeds for this very reason.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
New Mama Glo Bars
Yield
12 bars
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
10 minutes
Total time
I created these Glo Bars with new mamas in mind, but rest assured that they can be enjoyed by all! These nut-free Glo Bars contain oats, ground flax, sesame seeds, and coconut oil, all of which are thought to help boost milk supply in breastfeeding women. They are a great no-bake bar to store in the freezer before baby arrives, too; I love to keep a stash in my freezer so I always have some on hand. I purposely made these bars nut- and chocolate-free because, in some cases, these foods can contribute to fussy breastfed babies (of course, every baby is different—tweak as you see fit!). But it also makes them a great nut-free option for after-school snacks, too!
Ingredients
For the dry ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups (150 g) gluten-free rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (25 g) gluten-free rice crisp cereal
- 1/4 cup (40 g) white sesame seeds*
- 1/4 cup (40 g) pepita seeds*
- 1/4 cup (30 g) ground flaxseed
- 1/3 cup (45 g) dried cranberries or dried cherries**
- 2 tablespoons (12 g) unsweetened dried shredded coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt or fine sea salt
For the wet ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) brown rice syrup***
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (63 g) unsweetened sunflower seed butter****
- 1/2 tablespoon (7.5 mL) coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Line a 9-inch square pan with a piece of parchment paper. I like to leave some overhang so the bars are easy to lift out after freezing.
- In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (oats, cereal, sesame seeds, pepita seeds, ground flaxseed, dried fruit, coconut, cinnamon, and salt).
- Add the brown rice syrup into a small pot over low heat. Stir in the maple syrup, sunflower seed butter, and coconut oil until combined. When the mixture is warm and runny remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla.
- Immediately pour the brown rice syrup mixture over the dry ingredients (I use a spatula to scoop every last drop!) and with a large metal spoon, stir until the oats are fully coated in the syrup mixture. This can take some elbow grease, but we don’t want any dry patches, so mix well.
- Scoop the mixture into the prepared pan and spread out evenly. I like to lightly wet my hands and use them to spread the mixture out. Grab a small pastry roller if you have one, and roll the mixture until even and smooth. Or, simply press down firmly with your hands—the more you pack down the mixture the better the bars hold together. Using your fingertips, press the mixture downward along the edges to create straight edges.
- Place the pan in the freezer, uncovered, for about 10 to 15 minutes until the bars firm up enough to slice. Remove the slab and place on a cutting board. With a pizza slicer, slice the bars into 12 equal bars.
- Wrap each bar separately in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze the wrapped bars in a freezer-safe zip bag for 4 to 6 weeks. The bars will firm up when chilled. You can let them sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before enjoying, if desired.
Tip:
- * These bars are great with toasted sesame and pepita seeds, as well as raw.
- ** To make the bars look extra colourful, like in the photo, I like to scatter the dried cranberries on top (along with a handful of pepitas) before pressing the mixture into the pan.
- *** There are no substitutes for brown rice syrup unfortunately. I've tested all different liquid sweeteners and nothing else binds the bars enough.
- **** Organic Sunbutter (smooth) is my go-to store-bought brand. Make sure it's silky smooth and not dry and hard.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
By the way, a batch or two of these bars would make a great gift for a mama-to-be!
Last but not least, I’d like to share another roundup of #osgeveryday blog tour posts. A huge thanks to these talented bloggers for all their support! Be sure to check out the links below for recipe sneak peeks, giveaways, and fun Q+As.
Edible Perspective (Ash dishes on the behind the scenes of shooting the book!)
Do you have any idea why my bats would get so hard….my first batch was perfect. 2nd and 3rd got way to hard to bite in to.
I cannot keep enough of these in my house. I have to triple the recipe every time I make them. My entire family loves them!!
I’m out of coconut oil! Will the recipe work without it? Or with a sub?
These are AMAZING! Question – I know you note that there are no substitutes for brown rice syrup in terms of liquid sweeteners but are there any substitutes that aren’t a sweetener? They are just a bit sugary for my health taste and I would love to keep making them :)).
We’ve been enjoying these bars since i received your first cookbook some years ago. After the birth of my granddaughter, I would make batches for my daughter in law and called it Nursing Crack! They are still our go to for travel and to enjoy with our coffee on the beach. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes.
Hi there, I love your first cookbook and have been using it for years and gave one to a good friend :-) and was about to finally make some Glo Bars, was writing down the ingredients for my shopping list and then realized that they’re frozen not baked! I live in Europe and we tend to have tiny kitchens, tiny fridges and tiny freezers over here. A tray would never fit in mine and I don’t have one of those molds for these. Could I theoretically bake these? What do you think? Thanks!
Rachel,
I am only a customer who purchased the book but I made the ones in her first book this morning and after mixing the heated rice syrup/almond butter and stirring it into the mixed ingredients I actually (washed my hands and used them to make sure it was evenly distributed ) and made then pressed it down onto parchment paper and put parchment paper on top of it and rolled it with a rolling pin, then removed the top paper and sliced it after it cooled a little bit and then wrapped them. So I probably wouldn’t bake them. I didn’t freeze them and they came out great! I love Angela’s recipes… helping me have healthy treats!
Could I make this without sesame seed, and should I substitute anything? My daughter was just diagnosed with allergies to several types of nuts and sesame, so I’m trying to avoid them.
These bars are INNSSSSAAANNEEEE!
Thank you for the recipe, is it possible to be baked for this bar?
These bars are soooooo good. And thank you for the nut free recipe! However lately I have not been able to find brown rice syrup anywhere! Any suggestions?
I used to make all of your granola bars and they’re fantastic! However, all the regular stores (whole foods, save on foods etc) that used to carry brown rice syrup no longer carry it. They said the company that they used to buy from (Lindbergh) no longer makes it. As you comment that there’s no substitutions do you have any suggestions of where to buy it in or around Vancouver Canada. I can find it on Amazon, but they’re asking $40 a jar that I could previously buy in store for about $8. Thanks!
Jackie: I hope this reply reaches you. I am frin Toronto and I know in Vancouver also you can easily find East Indian stores.
Get a pack of jaggery. The darker thr better and not hard. You melt it in a pan with the coconut oil and when slightly cool, add the prepared mixture to the melted jaggery.
We make different types of Indian fudge type of bars and most of them are supposed to be hard but melt in the mouth when you take a bite. Jaggery binds as well as slightly hardens the mixture depending on the recipe.
I plan to try it this way and jaggery is a healthier sweetener. If it doesn’t work for you, try Indian fudge type recipes on YouTube that have English subtitles or different granola bars.
I had been having the same problem in Vancouver, but I finally found it at City Avenue Market on Commercial Dr! They have Everland brand, it seems you can also buy it online here: https://elimento.com/products/brown-rice-syrup-organic?srsltid=AfmBOopE6heR_vsDxWbibkkANvF4d9fdTkKy3ItOJ1R9YkoGnkAnKbhk
I make these bars whenever I have a friend that welcomes a new baby, and every single one of those friends has asked me for the recipe. They are soooo good. I always make an extra batch for myself whenever I’m making them for friends :)