Apple Oatmeal Squares |Cooking With Amanda

I've never particularly cared for oatmeal. Something about the texture. I love the smell, I love that it's so good for you, I love that it's a filling meal that can get you through the whole morning. But I can't get past the texture.

My kids, however, love oatmeal in any form. It's one of their favourite breakfasts of all time. They keep trying to convince me that I should like it. How's that for a role reversal? Usually it's the parent trying to convince the child to eat something, not the other way around. Although there's certainly enough of the opposite happening around here too! Generally over vegetables. Or anything new. Or anything with a sauce. Evidently my kids are picky.

But they DO like oatmeal. I really wish that I did. I keep trying, but it's just not for me. Oh well. I can get the health benefits of oatmeal from these amazing apple oatmeal squares instead.

A while ago I made some banana oatmeal squares that were amazing. The kids loved them, I loved them - we made them incessantly; and then forgot about them for many months. I tend to get obsessed with making something or other as a snack for the kids, then move onto something new.

But last week when looking for something new for their lunchbox snacks, I decided to revisit the oatmeal square. Only this time we went with apple oatmeal, and it was just as good as the original. The kids adored these apple oatmeal squares. So do I - they're healthy, tasty, and so quick and easy to make.

These squares are filled with apples, oats and cinnamon, with a drizzle of maple glaze to finish them off. If you want to make these even healthier, you could easily skip the glaze, they are absolutely delicious without it. But - maple glaze. So good.

The perfect quick breakfast to grab as you run out the door, or an easy snack to pack in a lunchbox, whichever you're looking for these apple oatmeal squares fit the bill. They also freeze well – I like to wrap them individually and then freeze them so they are quick and easy to grab and throw in the kids lunches.

My kids absolutely adored these apple oatmeal squares. So did I. And now we agree on something involving oatmeal! Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

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Apple Oatmeal Squares Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Squares:

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup oat flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 apples, grated
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk

For the Glaze:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/2-1 tablespoon water, optional

Directions

For the Bars:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, oat flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar. Add the apples and stir to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together the applesauce, vanilla and buttermilk until smooth. Add this to the apple mixture and stir until everything is evenly moistened. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan (it will be thick) and smooth it into an even layer.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the squares are golden brown. Allow to cool in the pan then lift out the parchment paper and slice into squares.

For the Glaze:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
Add the powdered sugar and maple syrup and stir until the glaze is smooth. If necessary add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of water to thin it out.
Drizzle over the cooled oatmeal squares.

Notes

Store the squares in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
If you don't have oat flour, you can easily make it by grinding regular oats in a food processor for a couple minutes. Just be sure to measure the flour after grinding, not before.
If you want these to be even healthier, you can omit the glaze.
The buttermilk can be subbed with regular milk if you don't have any.