I have a confession to make. I am addicted to almond butter and honey…like “spoonfuls of almond butter straight out of the jar dipped straight into the jar of honey” addicted. I decided to try to dignify my guilty pleasure by making a little sweet treat with these two ingredients — at least it gets me out of the jars. 😉
I’m glad I decided to do this, because the result is a healthy sweet treat that is REALLY easy to make! Just 4 ingredients, with one of them being optional, and they are no bake. Like I said, SO easy.
The best part? Oh my gosh these things are good!
Okay, first, let’s look at some health benefits of the three main ingredients of these goodies.
OATS
- Helps lower cholesterol
- Boosts the immune system
- Protects the heart
- Helps control blood sugar
- Lowers risk of type 2 diabetes
- Helps prevent breast cancer
- High in fiber
- Helps control blood pressure
- Reduces oxidative stress
ALMOND BUTTER
- Contains amygdalin (laetrile), which is anti-cancer
- Increases good cholesterol and reduces bad cholesterol
- Heart healthy and reduces risk of heart disease
- Good source of protein
- Alkalizing
- High in vitamin E and many minerals
RAW HONEY
- All vitamins, mineral, and enzymes are intact as opposed to regular honey
- Antiviral and antifungal properties
- Contains powerful antioxidants
- Helps ward off allergies
- Helps stabilize blood pressure and balance blood sugar levels
- Boosts immune function
- Promotes digestive health
Okay, so we see that we can feel pretty darn good about what we’re putting in our body here. Keep that in mind, because once you taste these, you will think they are bad for you because of how good they taste! I’m not kidding — they are AMAZING!!!
ALMOND OATMEAL BARS
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free oats
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- semi sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Directions
1.) Place your oats in a food processor and process on high until they have a flour-like consistency. Pour the ground up oats into a medium sized mixing bowl and set aside.
2.) In a small pan, heat the almond butter and honey over medium heat until smooth.
3.) Add the almond butter and honey to the mixing bowl with the ground up oats. Stir until completely combined.
4.) Line a pan or baking sheet with parchment paper. Form your mixture into a rectangular shape on the parchment paper. You want it to be about 1/2 – 3/4 inches thick.
5.) Use a knife to score your rectangle into bars. If you are adding the chocolate chips this is where you’ll do it. I made three bars buy just placing chocolate chips on the bar. I made another three bars by drizzling melted chocolate over them. Lastly, I left three bars plain with no chocolate.
6.) Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow to firm up. Once firm, cut along your score lines to create your bars. Place in an airtight container. You can keep these in the fridge or at room temperature for about a week…but I really don’t think they’ll last that long! 😉
Oh my gosh, these are so good!
Now I can get my almond butter and honey fix in a bar, so I don’t have to feel like such an animal eating it straight from the jar! Enjoy! 🙂
Loving and Laughing 