Aussie Bites |Cooking With Amanda

These are a funny little food. If I didn't have my trusty Sam's Club membership, I don't know that I ever would've heard of Aussie Bites, but I am very thankful for the piece of plastic that gains me entrance into bulk food land. After discovering the awesomeness of these nuggets at the club, I can happily purchase mass quantities of them.

Or, as is my tendency, I can determine that I will recreate them at home. Which is what I did… because baking is fun and homemade food is always better!

They are a funny little food because they are like nothing else I've ever had before. Kind of a cross between an oatmeal cookie, a granola bar, and a muffin. I know. What does that even mean? These bites are soft and sweet like oatmeal cookies, and contain lots of oats (obvi), but are chewy like a granola bar, and a little cakey like a muffin. On top of the killer texture, they boast tons of dried fruit, nuts, coconut, honey, and even chia seeds.

To recap, they're a bite-sized-oatmeal-cookie-granola-bar-muffin with tons of flavor, and that pack nutritional power too! Oh, and welllll, they're supposed to be bite-sized but apparently I don't own mini muffin pans (that was a shocking discovery), so they're a little bigger than traditional Aussie Bites because I used a regular muffin pan. ;)

They're sweet like a cookie, but you don't have to feel guilty about these because they are naturally sweetened by the dried fruit and a little honey! They are also super versatile. You can really toss in any combination of fruits and nuts that you like. I am personally very partial to a mix of dried cranberries, blueberries, and walnuts. Divine.

They make for the best snack ever – once you know what they are. I packed some of these for my S.O. to take to work and he doesn't usually question any foodstuff that I hand to him. If it satisfies hunger, he'll take it, no questions asked. He looked at them and posed a series of questions: "What are these? Are they supposed to look like that? Shouldn't they rise or something?"

How dare he suggest that something I made didn't turn out the way it was supposed to? Who does he think he is? Kidding, of course. It's a fair question because these aren't the prettiest food in the world and Aussie Bites are not exactly mainstream. But he loved them because they're delicious, and he had several co-workers stealing from his stash. They're a filling, hearty, and sweet snack, and one that you don't have to feel guilty about either!

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Aussie Bites Recipe

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Ingredients

1/2 cup blueberries, dried
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup prunes
1/2 cup walnuts
2 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups whole wheat flour, or oat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons hot water
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Directions

In a food processor, pulse the dried blueberries, cranberries, prunes, and walnuts until they are chopped to small bits.
In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, and brown sugar.
In a small bowl, combine melted butter and honey.
In another small bowl, combine baking soda and hot water.
Add the baking soda mixture to the butter mixture.
Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Add the chopped fruit and nuts, chia seeds, and shredded coconut. Mix well.
Fill regular-sized muffin cups about halfway full with the mixture, pressing it down to flatten.
Bake at 350°F for 9-10 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.
Cool in the pans on wire racks.