White House Fruit and Oat Bars Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

Litegal

#1) Mega sweet. As in really sweet. Seriously sweet. #2) I let cool a good hour before attempting to cut. Nope. Simply fell apart. I went ahead and spooned it into a container and stuck it into the fridge. The next day, I went to grab a piece and it was the perfect *bar* consistency. I'd like to make again and try chilling in fridge a good few hours before attempting to cut.
#3) love the ratio of seeds to fruit and oat. I used chia, sesame, poppy, and sunflower seeds.

Jane Roberts

Never use aluminum foil to line a pan. Parchment paper is the only good option in my opinion. (Also great for easy clean up when making cookies, baking salmon and roasting vegetables) These bars just came out of the oven and I immediately put them in the frig to harden. Sweet enough for my taste and ready to serve. Great recipe.

Alexandra

With all that dried fruit, why do you even need the brown sugar, honey, and maple syrup? If you need something to bind the ingredients with, try using date paste (in a food processor puree dates that have been softened by simmering in enough water to just cover them).

Susan

This produced a gooey mess. I followed other reviewer suggestions and put these in the fridge for a day. I was able to cut them apart but not into nice bars. There is clearly too much oil/syrup/honey as it is visible and oozy on the surface. If attempting, I’d reduce all of this by half. These have a nice flavor but appearance and texture are poor.

Name Matt

Given the other comments about how sweet it is, skipped the brown sugar all together. Itwas still on the sweeter end of the spectrum, but not bad. I let it cool fully, then put into the refrigerator and it set up nicely. Instead of sunflower seeds I used sliced almonds and chia seeds. The recipe lends itself to variations.

Susan

Far too sweet.

RBlank

I baked these at the correct temperature for less time and the fruit on the bottom burned. There’s so much sugar!

martibird

I waited for the pan to cool before cutting, but the bars fell apart. From other bakers, I've learned I should have put in the fridge, and cut the next day. Thank you for the tip! I also thought they would be too sweet, so reduced the honey making equal amounts of honey, sugar, syrup. Still sweet. Also fruit needs to be chopped quite small. Yummy, even as granola blobs if not bars. Will make again.

lisa

Reduced all the sugars by a third, used coconut oil (a bit less), swapped out a third of the fruit for chopped pecans, and let it bake for an extra 10 minutes till the top was almost dry to the touch. Let it cool, sliced no problem. Husband loves them.

Susan

This produced a gooey mess. I followed other reviewer suggestions and put these in the fridge for a day. I was able to cut them apart but not into nice bars. There is clearly too much oil/syrup/honey as it is visible and oozy on the surface. If attempting, I’d reduce all of this by half. These have a nice flavor but appearance and texture are poor.

DW

These have replaced store bought snack bars for me. Good to know that refrigeration helps with cutting them. I put portions into snack bags and made do.

Alyson | Seattle

These are very delicious. Super chewy. They could pass for breakfast bars, and would also be excellent on a hike. I used parchment paper (not foil) to line the pan and popped it directly from the oven into the refrigerator to harden. Great recipe!

Belinda

Far too sweet, would not make again.

barb

The intro to this recipe (and maybe the chef's vision) is full of misconceptions. No white sugar, it is written, but what about the brown sugar (white sugar+molasses) AND syrup AND honey ... it is all sugar. Not to mention the sugar from the dried fruit. Sugar is sugar, whatever the color or form. The added cinnamon is great, a "sweetener"... And no chocolate? There is nothing wrong with modest amounts of dark chocolate. Bill Clinton's cookies may have been less sugary.

MargieC

Definitely chill in refrigerator before cutting into bars.

Leahjeanna

Worried about these being too sweet I used 1/4 cup each of brown sugar, honey, maple syrup AND pomegranate molasses (mostly because I had it from something else and thought it might be good in theses). They turned out fantastic! The pomegranate molasses gave them an awesome tanginess. I did need to refrigerate before cutting apart.

Alexandra

With all that dried fruit, why do you even need the brown sugar, honey, and maple syrup? If you need something to bind the ingredients with, try using date paste (in a food processor puree dates that have been softened by simmering in enough water to just cover them).

Danielle McClellan

Extremely sweet. Too sweet in my opinion. As the recipe says, give them enough time to completely cool.

Christine Julie

I doubled this and made 2 versions, which was fun, but took more time: 1) sunflower/thompson raisin, cran & 2) pumpkin seeds, flax, banana chips and dried mango. There is not enough liquid to hold the bars together. I used a 9 x 13" pan to make them thinner and they still fell apart. An overnight in the fridge helped a bit. This type of recipe does require a lot of sugar, perhaps you can raise the maple syrup quantity to hold them together. Definitely use parchment paper!

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White House Fruit and Oat Bars Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes oatmeal bars stick together? ›

Natural peanut or cashew butter – It helps bind the bars together, and it adds protein, healthy fats, and irresistible nutty flavor. Whole rolled oats – They give these bars a perfect chewy texture. If you're gluten-free, make sure that you use certified gluten-free oats.

Should you soak oats before making granola bars? ›

Fill the bowl up with water to completely cover the mixture – enough that you can stir to combine. This soaking process will help the oats and seeds digest better. After the oat/seed mixture has soaked 8-12 hours, add the rest of the ingredients and combine.

How healthy are oat bars? ›

Are Oat Bars Healthy? Yes, oat bars can be packed with essential nutrients that fuel your mind and body and keep you satiated all day long. That is, as long as you're choosing healthy oat bars with a bit of protein, fiber and healthy fats and you're keeping sugars to a minimum.

Why are my oatmeal bars crumbly? ›

One of the biggest culprits of crumbly bars is not letting them bake properly. Whether you choose a recipe that requires your bars to enter the oven or a no-bake recipe in which they need to be refrigerated, make sure you follow all of the steps carefully.

What is the binding agent for homemade granola bars? ›

Honey: Since it's a granola bar, refined sugar is not used in the recipe as it's meant to be healthy. So to provide appropriate sweetness, honey is used. Also, honey acts as the primary binding agent.

How do you bind oat bars? ›

Honey or maple syrup

These natural sweeteners also help bind the bars together, and make these bars deliciously sweet (though not too sweet). Or, make date paste from fresh Medjool dates. Dates offer additional fiber, while honey or maple syrup do not.

What happens if you don't soak oats? ›

Improved Digestibility:Soaking oats helps break down phytic acid, an antinutrient found in oats. Phytic acid can bind to minerals, making them less absorbable. Soaking helps neutralize phytic acid, enhancing mineral absorption and improving overall digestibility.

Why do you soak oats in milk? ›

Soaking oats overnight in milk renders them ready to eat the next morning, however, it is unknown whether oats prepared this way will retain its relatively low glycaemic and insulinaemic impact.

Why do you rinse oats after soaking? ›

Gently rinsing soaked oats not only helps them to be less “pasty” in texture, but also helps to reduce any sour flavor that may develop as a result of the soaking process.

Is Peanut Butter good or bad for you? ›

Eating peanut butter alongside other nutritious foods is perfectly healthy — as long as you don't exceed your calorie needs. Peanut butter is high in calories and could lead to excess calorie intake if not consumed in moderation. However, it is still a high-quality food that provides numerous nutrients.

Are overnight oat bars healthy? ›

Healthy, Convenient & Delicious

They'll fill you up and make you feel great, like you can take on the day in your best way. These overnight oats bars give you a great breakfast option to take on the go on those busy mornings when sitting down to a bowl of oatmeal just isn't possible.

Can I eat an oat bar before bed? ›

Oats contain tryptophan, an amino acid that is involved in producing serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep. Consuming foods that are high in tryptophan, such as oats, may potentially contribute to improved sleep quality.

What is the best binder for granola bars? ›

When dampened, chia seeds gel and swell to several times their original size, plus they get very sticky. Since they're already used as egg alternatives in baking, it's not surprising that chia seeds act as the ideal granola binder, but it is strange that they do it better than eggs.

Why are Nature Valley bars so good? ›

One of the best parts about these bars is they have 10 grams of protein! They are also naturally flavored, there is no high fructose corn syrup, and they are gluten-free. Now they do contain milk ingredients, so these are not vegan. Also, with having peanut butter, they're going to have fat but it's healthy fat!

Why are Nature Valley granola bars so messy? ›

Turns out, it just didn't feel right. “Even as we tweaked our recipe to deliver a softer texture a few years ago, we made the decision to embrace the crumbs as we know our fans expect this as part of eating a Nature Valley Crunchy bar,” Backer continued. So don't expect the bars to change anytime soon.

How do you make oatmeal bars less crumbly? ›

If your granola bars are falling apart or seem too crumbly, here are a few tips. Make sure you use honey or another sticky sweetener such as maple syrup in the liquid part of the recipe; this recipe calls for honey. This will help bind together the ingredients and keep that signature bar shape.

What is the glue in granola bars? ›

While the oats and nuts bake, you can make the sticky glue that holds our bars together. You'll melt butter, honey, and brown sugar in a saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Mix this sticky mixture with the toasted oats and nuts.

Why are my granola bars sticky? ›

This should yield the perfect result! If your granola bars are coming out a bit sticky, it may also mean they need to be baked longer, as after baking they should be crunchy on the outside and hold together on the inside.

How do you stabilize oats? ›

Standard rolled oats you'll find at the store—like Quaker Oats—begin as oat groats that are first dehusked and rolled into flakes, then are treated with wet steam and toasted lightly in order to stabilize the grains. After the oats go through this processing, the oats will stay fresh for longer.

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