Chocolate Chip, Coconut and Oat Energy Square Bites

These energy bites are perfect for keeping in the fridge and snacking on when hunger strikes!  They come in really handy when you haven’t got time to have a full breakfast, or when you are peckish around 11 or 3 or 7!  They are good for both children and adults, lunchboxes, days out and because they have chocolate chips in them amongst the healthy oats and wholemeal spelt flour (use buckwheat if you would like them to be glutenfree), they can also be classified as a treat! And a healthy treat at that! So what are you waiting for?! Get some of these bad boys (ok cute little squares!) in your fridge right now!

Here’s what you will need;

• dark chocolate chips
• wholemeal spelt flour – use buckwheat if gluten-free
• oats – a mix of jumbo oats and ground oats work well
• coconut sugar
• coconut oil
• chia seeds

Begin by melting the coconut oil over a bain-marie (a bowl over a pan of boiling water, the bottom of the bowl must not touch the water, it must be resting on the top of the pan).  Once the oil has melted, turn off the heat and set to one side to cool a little.

Then place the oats, flour, coconut sugar and chia seeds into a medium sized bowl and combine together.

Gradually stir the melted coconut oil into the dry mixture, slowly, whilst stirring continuously to ensure all of the dry ingredients are cover in the oil.

Now stir in the chocolate chips.

The mixture will still be crumbly, but do not worry as it will set once cooled!

Place the combined mixture into a baking dish roughly 20x30cm, lined with baking paper for easy removal.

Press the mixture down with the back of a spoon until compact and evenly spread.

Bake in a pre-heated oven for around 12 minutes at 180 degrees until golden.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes, then leave in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours or overnight.  You will need to place a folded tea towel under the baking dish as it will still be warm and you do not want to damage your fridge shelf!

The coconut oil will firm up really well during its time in the fridge, allowing you to be able to cut into squares and it will give a lovely creamy/fudgy texture.  If you would like the squares to have more crunch, you have the option to add 2 tbsp of liquid sweeteners such as rice malt syrup or pure Maple syrup as they will harden up more in the fridge.  I did not do this however, as I was conscious this would add considerably to the amount of sugar within each bite.

Once they have had a chance to firm up in the fridge, cut the slab into 32 equal squares (4×8) before eating immediately or storing back in the fridge in a suitable container.