Houston, we have a working oven! This is what I screamed to Eric when I turned on our newly installed oven for the first time this weekend. To celebrate this momentous occasion I made something I’ve been craving for the past 6 weeks – warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies. [Fact: store-bought cookies just aren’t the same.] Then I made oatmeal cookie bars. Somehow I convinced Eric that these were an “anniversary gift” that I made “just for him” (he’s been in OSG baked good withdrawal during this kitchen reno), but we all know that this ready-to-pop, basketball smugglin’ preggo lady planned on eating her fair share complete with Coffee Shop Worthy Caramel Hazelnut Milk. Yea, it was a good weekend. I hope my oven and I shall never part again.
What can I tell you about these bars? Well, first off, we could not stop eating them. Eric said, “They are so light, I feel like I could eat 6 of them without feeling sick!” I suppose that’s a good thing? The gluten-free cookie base is made of up rolled oats (some of which I ground into a flour for binding purposes) and almond flour, just like my favourite GF + vegan cookies on the blog. There aren’t any gums or starches to speak of and because of this they are quite delicate when they first come out of the oven, but the crust bakes up crisp, chewy, and slightly caramelized so it’s a terrific balance. Let me tell you – the crispy corner pieces are prime real estate! Only your favourite people are worthy of the corner pieces. If you have one of those “Baker’s Edge” brownie pans, now would be a good time to put it to use. Then you can avoid that awkward moment when you hand the middle piece to a friend and take the corner piece for yourself.
I used coconut sugar to give the bars a gorgeous dark golden hue and a hint of toffee/caramel flavour. The added bonus when using coconut sugar is that it has a low glycemic index compared to other sugars (35), so it won’t spike your blood sugar as quickly. According to my logic, this means I can eat twice as many. Correct? Phew.
I don’t think I need to tell you that these are great with a scoop of vegan ice cream, but I’ll throw it out there just in case. We turned one into an open-faced ice cream sandwich by chilling a bar and serving it with a scoop of vegan ice cream on top. Oh my lanta. It’s great to have an oven.
Toffee Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Yield
12 bars
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
These cookie bars are soft, delicate, and chewy in the middle with a crispy outer edge. Coconut sugar lends a wonderful toffee flavour to these bars. Try serving them with vegan ice cream for an easy dessert or just enjoy them with some homemade almond milk. Recipe adapted from my vegan and GF cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) ground flax
- 3 tablespoons (45 mL) water
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (75 mL) virgin coconut oil, softened
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) natural smooth almond butter
- 3/4 cup (120 g) coconut sugar*
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (108 g) oat flour**
- 3/4 cup (75 g) gluten-free rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (75 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (60 g) non-dairy mini chocolate chips, divided
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
- Mix the ground flax and water in a small bowl or mug and set aside to thicken.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the coconut oil, almond butter, and sugar with electric beaters until combined.
- Pour in the flax mixture and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Add the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and beat again.
- Finally add in the oat flour, rolled oats, almond flour, and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips (reserving the 1 tablespoon for later) and beat until combined.
- Spoon dough into prepared pan and spread out until smooth and even. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top and press down. I use a pastry roller to roll the dough out even.
- Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden and firm around the edges. (The edges will be high and the middle portion will be sunken a bit. This is all normal!)
- Gently place the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then, carefully lift out the bars and place directly on cooling rack for another 10 minutes or so, until mostly cool. Slice and enjoy! Note: The bars will crumble slightly if sliced warm, but they firm up nicely when cooled.
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or in the freezer (tightly wrapped and placed in a freezer bag) for up to 3 to 4 weeks.
Tip:
- * Instead of coconut sugar, you can try using unpacked light brown sugar.
- ** To make the freshly ground oat flour, add 3/4 cup rolled oats into a high speed blender. Blend on high until a very fine flour forms. This will make 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of oat flour. Or you can simply use store-bought oat flour.
- This recipe is an updated version as of May 24/16. The previous version did not contain almond butter, and it had 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil. Everything else is the same.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)Cheers to September, baking, and working ovens!
My first attempt with this recipe was a huge success with my family! However I added a few things like chia & Hemps seeds and maybe a bit more chocolate chips (teethe!) and they are a NEW fav in our home! Really enjoy your blog… lots of great healthy recipes! Thank you
I’m 14 and me and my little sis made just made these together. It was really fun but the bars just crumbled in our hands when we tried to eat them:( they tasted like any oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. I didn’t really like them but my mom and dad loved them!
First-time commenter, but I love your site and I have your book. Everything turns out so well!
I made these tonight and they were so yummy! I used 3/4 C spelt flour (I didn’t have almonds. I had to add a splash of almond milk because the spelt absorbed too much moisture) and butterscotch chips because I didn’t have chocolate chips. Great texture, and I totally “get” what Eric was talking about with the lightness!
Thanks for another keeper!
Hi! These disappeared in about 45 minutes in my house tonight. All my picky eaters were asking for seconds. And, as my son has a peanut/tree nut allergy, I subbed all purpose GF flour (in this case, equal parts buckwheat, sweet brown rice, and millet all ground in my vitamix). So they were nut-free also. And amazingly yummy! Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Colley
Hi….planning on making these for a work thing. Sorry, I don’t have time to read all the comments to see if someone else has asked this question………..Can I substitue something for the Almond flour since I need a Gluten-free, nut-free vegan recipe. Thanks so much!
Yeah, these are super delicious. They are just the perfect amount of sweetness and taste like salted caramel. Amazing. I took them to a work party tonight and those that tried them loved them as much as I did!
Hi, I would like to try this recipe, can the flax egg be replaced with applesauce?
1- not enough liquid to make a batter. I added at least 1/4 of cup of almond milk to have some kind od dough.
2- how do you use a pastry roller in an 8×8 pan to make the top even? I just owe a rolling pin that’s why. I used a spoon.
It is in the oven now and I am pretty sure the bars will be good regardless of the obstacles I encountered, because the batter tasted good.
Hi, I made the toffee cinnamon cookie bars and they were delish but a bit dry. How can I make them more moist next time? Thank you!
Angela! Thank you for this amazing site! From the smashed potatoes to the toffee bars, I have found a joy for cooking! I appreciate your easy directions and guidance! I have been gluten-free and vegan for two months, and I feel great! Keep these awesome recipes coming!
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Pretty good, but there wasn’t a strong “toffee” taste for me. More like an “oatmeal bar” of some sort. My baking time was closer to 15 minutes.
I should add that the cinnamon flavor was very subtle – I would add more if I made them again.
Made these last night and put them in the fridge overnight, OMG! mouth watering deliciousness. This was my first time using coconut sugar and they are just heavenly.
Made these today with my 4 year old. She enjoyed licking the beater from the mixer. They smell amazing! For shear simplicity of the recipe, I would give them a 5. Even after cooling, though, mine seemed a bit crumbly and dry when eaten. On this note, I did have to use about 1/4-1/3 cup of coconut flour in place of almond flour, as I did not have quite 3/4 cup. This could be the culprit. If they were a little more moist, not as crumbly, a definite 5.
This recipe is fantastic! So quick and easy. I just started making them last week and I’ve made them three times now! My kid loves them. So much better than store bought snacks. Thank you for this entire website. We are going gluten and dairy free and your recipes are wonderful.
I love these! I am such a huge fan of your blog and your cookbook arrived today. I have made 5 recipes from your blog and they were all spectacular! I am not vegan but trying to eat less dairy, gluten and meat and increasing whole foods. Good food is important to our family and your recipes do not disappoint! My 6 year old has loved everything we have made as well! Thank you!
These were absolutely delicious! I am so happy to have your blog around, I have been vegetarian for 2 years and am now trying to go completely vegan. Thank you for all your helpful posts, especially while you were pregnant (I had my first baby 3 days after you in Japan :) The recipes you post are fantastic and you provide so much inspiration. Thank you! I brought these treats to work and everyone loved them.
Is the coconut oil melted and cooled first before beating it with the sugar?
Can you include nutritional information on your recipes? Thanks!
I can’t tell you enough how much I love these. I omit the chocolate chips and add a few tablespoons of fresh ground PB and coconut flakes. DELISH!!
I just love these! So wonderful! I drastically reduce the coconut sugar because my kids are very young, which made them too crumbly the first time so now I add a chia egg and they are a huge hit. Everyone loves these in our home!