Whole Wheat Berry Bars with Flax Meal

These whole wheat berry bars are packed with fiber-rich ingredients and protein to give you plenty of energy to power through your morning or afternoon.

When I first started cooking for my family, I didn’t know a whole lot about nutrition. I knew that I had to make our meals healthy, in any way, shape or form. We were never heavily into processed foods, so we were a step ahead of the majority of my friends. Eating healthy wasn’t too big of a leap.

But, I have learned a heck of a lot since I started blogging 7 years ago. I read about healthy eating daily, and I have asked my sister-in-law (a registered dietician) thousands of food questions.

As my family is blessed with zero food allergies, we do not have to follow a restricted diet. We do practice moderation. What has changed most in my cooking these 7 years is my baking. I swap out white flour for  whole wheat flour in as many places possible. I also use wheat bran, almond meal, old fashioned oats and flax meal wherever I can.

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to teach a cooking camp for 10-year old girls. I promised their mothers (who were also my good friends) that the girls would be learning to try new things and eat a lot of healthy foods. And, boy did I deliver!

For the past two months I have wanted to post the recipes we made, the recipes that were new to my blog. These whole wheat berry bars are one of them.

The girls made these bars on the first day of my camp. It’s very easy to assemble. Perfect for giggly girls with small, curious hands.

The bars are minimally sweetened, are bursting with berries (fresh or frozen) and packed with protein and fiber rich ingredients like almond meal, flax meal, rolled oats and wheat bran.

The bars are firm and crunchy once cooled after baking, and turn soft and chewy the next day. The girls (and their families) loved these bars. My kids loved these bars. I seriously loved these bars.

I hope you love them, too!

If you are enjoying my recipes, I would love for you to sign up for my newsletter (and get my free citrus e-cookbook!) or follow me on Instagram or Facebook.

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Yield: 16 Bars

Whole Wheat Berry Bars with Flax Meal

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These whole wheat berry bars are packed with fiber-rich ingredients and protein to give you plenty of energy to power through your morning or afternoon.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 cup fresh mixed berries
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 3 TBS all-purpose flour
• 2 TBS lemon juice
• 1 TBS plus 1 teaspoon water, divided
• 1 ½ cup rolled old-fashioned oats
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• ⅔ cup almond meal
• ½ cup brown sugar, light, packed
• ¼ cup flax meal
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• 1 egg, large
• 8 TBS butter, unsalted, softened and cut into small pieces

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch square pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper or foil. Set aside.
2. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine berries, sugar, flour, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon water over medium heat until mixture starts to bubble.
3. Continue stirring until berries just begin to break down and the sauce thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. In a high powered blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse old-fashioned oats to a powder.
5. Transfer oat flour to a large bowl and mix with whole wheat flour, almond meal, brown sugar, flax seed, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Whisk until well incorporated.
6. Using your fingers, mix in egg, butter and remaining 1 TBS water until mixture starts to clump together.
7. Press approximately ⅔ of the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
8. Pour the berry filling onto the crust and spread evenly.
9. Scatter the remaining crust mixture across the top as you would for a fruit crisp or crumble without pressing down.
10. Bake until the top crumble is golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.

Notes

Serving Suggestions: Great for breakfast, afternoon snack or a healthy dessert.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1 bar
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 176Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 177mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 3gSugar: 11gProtein: 3g

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