Oat Fudge Minis

I had a request from my friend Rahaf to tackle a makeover of the Starbucks Oat Fudge Bars.

A bar makeover was a little daunting, as I had one major goal:

• No butter!

Butter is a challenging substance to take out…with my goal of NOT adding margarine (this week I learned how much I want to avoid margarine).

The verdict is in, from my taste-tester boyfriend: they taste like there is butter! These are so healthy you could have a few of them for breakfast and feel good about it.

Ingredients:

wet:

• 1 medium banana
• 2 tbsp coconut oil  (you could use canola or an oil of choice…but this stuff is more buttery)
• 1/4 cup egg whites (or 1 egg)
• 4 tablespoons agave
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (salt joins the liquids because it dissolves)

dry:

• 1.5 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup spelt flour
• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds

middle and topping:

• 1/3 cup mini dark chocolate chips (or more if you want it fudgy-er)

Time to make them happen in your kitchen:

1. preheat oven to 350
2. mash banana
3. add other liquid ingredients into banana mixture
4. add dry ingredients, one quarter cup at a time, mixing until well blended
5. line mini muffin pan with liners (or grease it)
6. spoon 1 tablespoon (I eye-balled this) into each spotJust make sure you have enough room to put a middle layer of chocolate chips, and then another layer of oat mixture on top.
7. Press chocolate chips into each mini
8. Cover each mini with remaining oat mixture
9. press a few more chocolate chips into each one
10. Bake for approx. 15 minutes

Why these are awesome, especially compared to your coffee-shop bought variety:

• no butter! no margarine!
• sweetened naturally
• antioxidants if you’re using dark chocolate
• lots of fiber
• spelt flour and oats = more protein!  feel full.  have muscles.
• servings size using the mini muffin pan might help you not eat them all at once…but no guarantees on that one!

A note on sweetness:  I often find storebought bars to be a little on the sweet side for me. These are a little less sugary.  If you like things on the sweeter side, I would add another couple tablespoons of agave to the oats.  You can also throw in more chocolate chips, to you liking.  I taste the batter just a little bit as I go, to check the sweetness level.

But wait, here’s one more options:

If you’re vegan: replace the egg whites with unsweetened apple sauce.

What’s your favorite coffee shop indulgence?