“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.
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!)
Hi Angela!
Love these glo-bars and have been making them from your app :) The spice combo gives them a distictively different flavour from your originals.
I am not a “new” mama, but, speaking of new mamas, is your due date today?!
I have been thinking about you this past weekend possible going into labour!
Hey Nicole,
So glad you’ve been enjoying the bars so much! You are right; my due date is today. We’ll see if this baby is as timely as Adriana was. ;)
One of my daycare moms sent along Classic Glo Bars with her little one today, and I’ll be sure to suggest these to her. Today, the children and I made the Nut-Free Dream Bars ( in the freezer now…can’t wait!) and it’s going to ge your Fusilli Lentil-Bolognese for supper…a fave in my house! Somehow, it’s creamy even though it’s a marinara. :)
Thanks for this! I’ve been itching to make my own granola bars this season and these looks so yum!
I hope you love the bars if you try them out Sara :)
Making my own bars has been on my 10 year “to do” list but for whatever reason has not gotten done. I really appreciate subbing out nuts for sunflower seeds too. Great option! They are loaded in so many wonderful nutrients, and these bars looks like they’ll fuel me when on the go! Thank you Angela.
Dear Angela,
Congratulations on your new book! It’s just arrived at my doorstep and it has bookmarks all over it already. Same goes for your app, which design I completely adore.
I have a quick question though; could you please tell me what countertop you have in your kitchen? The majority of the photos in your app and book feature this lovely white countertop with some delicate grey strokes on it. I’m choosing a countertop for an island in my kitchen and I particularly like this one, but can’t say for sure what material/stone it’s made from. Thank you!
These bars look so yummy, I need to make them ASAP! :)
Hey Maja,
Thank you so much for the cookbook and app love. :) In terms of the countertops, I shoot the app photos on a slab of honed marble (it’s not our actual countertop), and Ashley shot the photos from the book on other slabs too. Our actual kitchen countertops (which you’ll see often on Snapchat or Instagram stories) is called Super White Granite. I hope this helps!
I made these when they first uploaded on your app. So delicious!!!
So happy to hear that Stacy! Thanks for letting us know.
I wish I had these bars when I was breastfeeding. My milk supply was very low although I tried everything under the sun to increase it.
We LOVE your book and I make 2 new recipes every week for my family. Can you tell I am obsessed with the cookbook :)? In a good way!
Hi. They’re look yummy but can you point me to evidence that those ingredients help boost milk supply? I just can’t find any research to back this up but you may know any different?
These look AMAZING. Even for non-mamas! LOL Thanks for linking to my post!!!
Hi Angela – I have made your original Glo Bars several times (yummers!) and thought I would let you know that coconut syrup is the PERFECT substitute for brown rice syrup in the recipe. In fact, I only just found brown rice syrup in my grocery store a few weeks ago, and I prefer the coconut syrup over the brown rice syrup. It’s thick and holds the bars together really well!
Thought I would share in case any of your readers can’t find brown rice syrup but can find coconut syrup.
Oh, that’s great to know! I’m glad coconut syrup works so well as an alternative. Thanks for sharing, Erin!
Hi Angela
What brand of rice crisp do you recommend?
thanks
Cathy
Hi Cathy, Personally, I love the Whole Foods 365 brand of rice crisp. Hope this helps!
Totally wondered if this would increase my bra size when I read the title. Thank you for clarifying it will not lol.
These look delicious!
Good luck with bringing Baby into the world soon!
Thanks, Julia! :)
OMG these sounds AMAZING! I have to pump at work every day so I need all the lactation help I can get! Will definitely be making these on the weekend!!! <3
Tahana
www.tahanalee.com
Wow, these look beautiful and will make wonderful gifts indeed! Off to make some =)
Would regular oil be a good substitute for coconut oil? I know there’s usually not a good substitute for coconut oil because of it’s unique melting/solidifying temperature, but in this case since there’s only 1/2tb and it looks like most of the sticking-together-power comes from the sunflower seed butter, I’m wondering if it can be substituted without ill effects. (Hubby is allergic to coconut)
And for that matter the shredded coconut…though I imagine I can simply swap in more oats or nuts for the small amount of shredded coconut in this.
These bars look so good! I’ve made the classic glo bars from the first cookbook and they are fantastic. Today, I made the banana bread from your app and it is sooooo good! I used whole-grain spelt and sifted it as you recommended and it yielded a nice, hardy, dense (but in the best way) loaf! I added some pecans and chocolate chips into the batter and it’s perfect with a little honey on top. I’m hiking Half Dome this week and I’m trying to come up with good snacks to bring for a healthy breakfast the morning of the hike as well as something to snack on during the long ascent.
Thanks for posting the reviews for your new cookbook! I always like finding new recipe blogs! It’s too bad some of these giveaways have ended though. :( Still great to read the reviews and interviews! :)
I made these last night and wow I think they are my new favourite! Thanks for posting. Good luck with baby :)
I love your classic glow bars from OSG Cookbook, so these look great too. I’m no longer a new Mum (my kids are 11,9 & 3, yikes) but remember that starving all the time feeling when they were tiny and breastfeeeding loads.
Do you know when Oh She Glows Everyday will be released in Europe? I’m in England and can’t wait to get it. Also, will it have weight measurements?
Hi Lou, I’m not sure of the exact UK pub date, but last I heard they were thinking an early 2017 release. If you don’t want to wait that long, I’d recommend ordering from The Book Depository, an international retailer (with free worldwide shipping!). And yes, there will be weight measurements! :) Thanks so much for your support, and if you give these bars a try I hope you love them just as much as the classic version!
Angela- can you suggest some brands of crisp rice cereal. I am stuck having to order online from my smaller town, and want a brand that works in your recipe. Have always drooled over these and now I can’t wait.
I have had a hard time finding a “crisp rice cereal” made with brown rice and without added garbage. I use puffed brown rice for all of my granola bars (it has one ingredient!) – it works great and is easy to find.
Hey Laura, Personally, I love the Whole Foods 365 brand of rice crisps. Hope this helps!
I’ve been loving pumpkin seeds lately! I’ll definitely have to try this!
Best,
Sarah
www.ladyappleseed.co
These looks amazing, now I know my weekend project! If baby waits any longer I may need to send you more to replenish your stock. Best of luck, thinking about you and this new little gift!
Aw, thanks Michelle!
wow – these look super delicious, and cutting with the pizza wheel is a really neat idea! Good luck with the baby x
Thanks, Christine!
These look really really good. I’m ma guy and I’d eat them. The pumpkin seeds are good for men’s health as well.
http://vegansrising.com
These look so delicious and this is such a cute idea for new mommas!
Thanks, Sarah! :)
Hi Angela! I love your Oh She Glows book and have cooked extensively out of it and recommended to many people. I recently purchased your app and was very disappointed when I discovered that I can’t print your recipes out from it. Last night I made your Buddha Bowl recipe with the vinaigrette and loved it and I wanted to print it out to add it to my folder of favorite recipes and nowhere on the app will it let me print!
The only thing I can do is screen shot the ingredients and directions separately and then print. Is there anyway to add a print function to your app? I would love that!
Thanks for your help and I do love all your recipes!
Lori
Hi Lori, thanks so much for your kind words and thoughtful feedback on the app! Unfortunately, it’s not possible at this time, but I will definitely keep your feedback in mind for the future! Also, I’m happy to say that you can print the Buddha Bowl (plus many other app recipes!) directly from this blog! Hope this helps and thanks again for your support!
I love your Glo Bars in your 1st cookbook and I want to try this recipe. However I’ve stopped making them because the last 4 times I’ve attempted to the mixture just won’t stick together. I have not changed the weight of the ingredients, tried different peanut butter brands, tested making them in warm/cold weather and yes I mix with muscle! Can anyone help troubleshoot?
Hi there, So weird that the bars suddenly aren’t cooperating with you! The main thing is to be sure to use brown rice syrup as I’ve found no other liquid sweeteners will bind properly. But, it sounds like you’re following the recipe to a tee… My other troubleshooting suggestions are to avoid using the firm/dry nut butter at the bottom of a jar as it’s difficult to fully mix into the wet ingredients, and to make sure that you really pack the mixture into the pan. I press it very firmly into the pan, and then I use a wooden pastry roller (just from the dollar store!) to roll the mixture and compact it even more. The last thing I do after rolling is use my fingers to press in all the edges so they are nice and even. It’s also important to chill the bars in the freezer for 10 to 20 minutes (depending on how cold your freezer is) before attempting to slice them. I always slice the bars with a pizza slicer as it results in a very precise cut! Please let me know if these suggestions help! If you’re already doing them, I’ll put my thinking cap back on. :)
I’ve been using a metal meat tenderizer(heavy kitchen too) to pound the mixture flat! For the vegans out there a kitchen-mallet perhaps? Anyway, I’ve made this recipe now 5x and I love it! I’ve made it as a snack pack gift for a friend too. She loves them. Anyway, just pressing into the pan wasn’t cutting it for me. I left them in the freezer and just took them out prior to wanting to eat to hold their shape more. Adding some pounding with that metal mallet has made the bars way more compact!
Left my phone at work yesterday and thus missed your snap with shoes on! Sooooo excited for you & family!!! And awesome that you got to sleep in a familiar place.
Wow I wouldn’t have thought that nuts or chocolate would have that reaction but I guess every parent/child is different. These would make a great on the go snack too or something to put in lunch boxes.
John Munro
Hello! I love your blog. I love this new site as well, that all vegans should check out!
It’s called “thehippiechild.weebly.com”, and it is wonderful.
Although it’s not quite as wholesome as brown rice syrup sweetened condensed milk is excellent for making granola bars really stick together well, the stuff is like glue! Of course then these aren’t vegan but it’s a common ingredient that works as a substitute
Angela,
These bars are beautiful!! I made a batch this afternoon for my husband and I to take to work as a quick, healthy, energizing snack. They are soooo good! I didn’t have any sunflower seed butter and was too lazy to make some, so I used raw almond butter and they turned out great. I was inspired to do some experimenting and created a version for my girls using organic peanut butter, raw walnuts and dark chocolate chips. Their schools are not “nut-free” entirely, so they can bring these in their lunch boxes, too! As I have been checking here often for updates, I’m gonna assume your newest little one has arrived. I hope your birth went smoothly (and was mercifully short!) and am excited to learn the gender…my guess is boy?? Anyway, congrats if baby has arrived and God love you if you are past 40 weeks and hanging in there!
These look amazing! Don’t think I can still claim to be a new mum but will certainly give these a go!
whatizzydidnext.blogspot.co.uk
These are so delicious! Thank you! I subbed raisins and added some chocolate chips!
Yum! So glad you enjoyed them, Mary.
Hi, I have tried lots of your recipes. All of them worked and were delicious!
I have very recently made your Glo Bars even though I’m not a mother. And… I have also made your Veggie Burgers and I made them for dinner, my entire family loved them and I did too.
xx
I’m so happy to hear you and your family have been enjoying my recipes, Nicole!! I hope you love whatever you decide to try next, too.
Angela these look so good! I’m super excited to try and make these.
btw – don’t know if its just me, I’m using chrome on a Mac thats running El Captain, but your “print” and “email” icons keep turning into “pin-it” when I try and click on them which makes them un-usable right now.
What a great idea and a handy go to snack! Thanks for posting :)
Our son has an allergy to flaxseeds, can ground chia seeds be a substitute? I also noticed you lentil loaf also has ground flaxseeds and wondered if the substitution would work there.
omg amazing! thank you for sharing!
Lo
http://loelizabeth.com
Where did you purchase the white lace sleeved blouse shown in your new cookbook. Luv both your books. Thanks
Hi Ka, I think it was bought from Zara 2-3 years ago! They have really cute blouses. Thank you so much for your kind words about the books. :)
Oh yum! These looks fantastic, thanks for sharing!
Lennae xxx
www.lennaesworld.com
Fabulous recipe. I didn’t have brown rice syrup so I used honey. Bring the honey and maple syrup to a full boil for 1 minute. Then make as directed. Worked great!
These bars turned out great. I’m a flight attendant and always on the go. I love having these on hand for a super early wake up or just as a filling snack. Thank you.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe, Annette!! :)
i have made quite a few batches of these – usually these would be sweeter than i like, but nursing craves more sugar.
do you have a recipe for grilled cheese without using daiya or another vegan cheese? i was craving some grilled cheese & tomato soup. i did a quick search on your site but couldn’t find any grilled cheese recipes.
Hi Elysa, I don’t have a recipe for that yet, but it’s definitely an idea I’ll have to keep in mind for the future! :)
Thank you for creating such a great recipe for those of us with nut allergies!! I have a lot of friends that are vegan and, as much as I’d like to, I find it difficult finding recipes with ingredients that I can eat. I made an earlier verision of this recipe before (without sesame seeds) and thought it was delicious–surprised to say this new recipe is even better! I really enjoy the sunflower seeds as well and love these especially with dried cherries when I can get them. Please keep posting nut-free options!!
Hi there! Thank YOU for the thoughtful comment. I’m so happy you enjoyed the new recipe!
Hi Angela :) I just finished making the bars and….oh…..delicious! I am so happy they turned out, so easy to make. I just bought your 2 cookbooks after falling in awe of “Oh She Glows Every Day” in a restaurant a couple of weeks ago (and that was only flipping quickly through a couple of pages…). I’m now hooked. Thank you Angela for being an inspiration and for your talent which permitted your recipes to reach my house. I am grateful to have found you ?
Thank you so much for the lovely comment, Jean! I hope you enjoy the cookbooks, and love whatever recipes you decide to try first. :)
These are GREAT! Thanks for sharing! I have been keeping these on hand and grabbing one when I get SO hungry nursing my newborn in the middle of the night. My husband is also in love with them and takes the to work for an afternoon snack. ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡
Oh, I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying them, Jess! Congrats on your new little one. :)
Thank you! Congratulations on your gorgeous little one as well!!! Btw, I made some and only had toasted sesame seeds from the Asian market… it was a little weird but still quite edible. Just in case you ever get curious. ;)
Yummy! I made these today to share with a couple of friends – we each had a baby within 2 months. I didn’t have brown rice syrup so used agave and left out the maple syrup. I also used soaked and dehydrate buckwheat rather than the crisped rice cereal as I don’t like it (unless coated in chocolate!) and didn’t want to be left with most of a packetful. I’ve just tasted one and I DON’T WANT TO SHARE THEM! They are delicious, thank you so much for the recipe.
every person like spicy food
Congrats on the baby! I just made these and they were really good but they were a little too sweet for me. Is there any way I could make them with less sugar? I know the rice syrup is important for binding the bars and getting them to stay together but do you know if there is something else that would hold these together that I could substitute part of the syrup for?
Hey Syd, Thanks for the congrats, and I’m sorry I’m a bit late getting back to you on this. I hear what you’re saying about the sweetness! You might be able to swap out a tablespoon of rice syrup with a tablespoon of nut/seed butter. I’d also suggest cutting back on the maple syrup (or maybe omitting it altogether), and making sure your sunflower seed butter or nut butter is unsweetened, as that should help, too. If you experiment a bit, I’d love to know what you find works!
Looks like a great recipe! My daughter will definitely love this :)
LOVE your cookbook and am working my way through, recipe by recipe. Not a vegan, nor even a vegetarian, btw. For those who asked for alternatives for the sweetener/binder, I used 1/4 c. organic coconut syrup (low GI) and 1/4 c. maple syrup and the bars held together beautifully.
Thanks for sharing, Jennifer!
Hi Angela :)
I love this recipe, but for some reason both times I have made it the granola bars don’t stay solid enough. I press them firmly and freeze them, but once they return to room temp they start falling apart. Any idea which of the ingredients could be the cause, or what I could adjust?
Thanks for you help and all of your amazing recipes!
Deanna
Hey Deanna, I’m sorry to hear you’ve been having trouble getting the bars to hold together! Assuming you haven’t made any substitutions (the brown rice syrup is really key; I haven’t found any other liquid sweetener that binds the bars well enough), and are being sure to compact the bars as much as possible (which it sounds like you are!), my guess is that your sunflower seed butter may be a bit too much on the dry side. You want it smooth and silky. Alternatively, it might be that the bars are spread too thin. It should help to store them in the fridge, too, rather than letting them sit too long at room temp…though if you’re bringing them for work or packing them for school, I know that may be a challenge. Hopefully one of these suggestions helps you out! Worse comes to worst, you could always use the crumbles as a topping for your fave yogurt or a smoothie bowl. ;)