Caramel Oat Protein Breakfast Bars (GF + DF)

Odd enough, I wasn’t the biggest caramel fan until I made my french toast this year and whipped up a vegan salted caramel to accompany it.  Since then, I’ve been adding the caramel to nearly everything, from drizzling it on my chocolate cake to spreading it on my cinnamon loaf.  Fortunately (or perhaps, unfortunately), I made too much, so I decided to experiment with some oat bars.  With the incentive to enjoy this treat as a breakfast meal, I knew I had to amp up its ingredients.  So here you have it, caramel protein oat breakfast bars.

P. S. They’re so addictive that they won’t just pertain to breakfast…

My VEGAN CARAMEL RECIPE is super easy to follow and remember – it’s a 1:1:1 ratio of mixed nut butter from Trader Joe’s (or another smooth nut butter), coconut oil, and maple syrup.  I particularly like to use the mixed nut butter because it contains a variety of nuts: almonds, cashews, walnuts, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and pecans.  In addition to the core caramel ingredients, I like to add in some vanilla extract and salt gives as it gives it an even more caramelly flavor.  (Note: For this recipe, you’ll need 4 tbsp of each core ingredient).

So what makes this acceptable for breakfast?

Yes, it does have caramel, but it’s the only sugar you’re going to have to add into these bars.  The rest is filled with delectable, nutritious ingredients like mesquite flour, chia seeds, and protein powder.

• Mesquite flour:  This is one of my most recent and favorite discoveries!  Mesquite flour is a high-protein flour that has a nutty flavor and a low glycemic index number of 25.  It is also a great source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc.
• Chia seeds:  I am a chia fanatic.  As I mentioned in my last post, chia seeds are absolutely amazing – they’re super high in fiber, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, linoleic acid, and protein.  For more info, take a look at my chia seed gel post 🙂
• Protein powder:  With 22g of plant-based protein per scoop, my favorite brand of protein powder is Garden of Life.  While you can certainly use the vanilla flavored formula, I didn’t want the extra sugar so I used the unflavored one without stevia –  you genuinely cannot taste it (which is perfect because we want the caramel flavor to shine!).

I hope you enjoy these delicious caramel protein oat breakfast bars – whether it be for actual breakfast, post-workout, or midnight snack 🙂

Sources

https://www.organifishop.com/blogs/news/cacao-bliss-ingredient-mesquite