Diary of an ExSloth

Tales of Food, Fitness & Healthy Living

Chewy Chocolate Cranberry Quinoa Oat Bars

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Hey Friends! How’s it goin?

Happy Friday 13th/Day Before Valentine’s Day!  I’m think I’m more worried about Friday 13th than I am excited for Valentine’s Day. Although you wouldn’t know that by my food choices since, I’ve got a second chocolate recipe for ya this week: Chocolate Cranberry Quinoa Bars.

These vegan, gluten free chocolate cranberry quinoa oat bars are hearty, chewy, chocolatey, sweet, slightly tangy with a bit more protein and fibre than your usual oat bar. @ExSloth

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that I rediscovered my obsession with quinoa this week. There was a time – early last year – when I’d have quinoa with almost every meal. My Sundays weren’t complete until I cooked up a batch of those little seeds. Then, I moved apartments and got further away from bulk barn – which is the only place I buy quinoa – and my daily dose of quinoa eventually stopped. 

So this weekend, when I decided to hit up bulk barn in search of some hard to find flours, I took to opportunity to stock up on quinoa. And I made a batch the same night. Since then, I’ve been eating quinoa like a crazy person. Seriously, for every meal. And yesterday, these chocolate cranberry quinoa oat bars became the newest quinoa infused meal of my life.

These vegan, gluten free chocolate cranberry quinoa oat bars are hearty, chewy, chocolatey, sweet, slightly tangy with a bit more protein and fibre than your usual oat bar. @ExSloth

These have actually been on my ‘to-make’ list for quite some time, just without the quinoa. But when I was adding the ingredients to my mixing bowl I decided to throw some quinoa in. And boy am I glad I did. 

When I first tried them, I wasn’t too sure exactly what they were. They tasted amazing, but, in my opinion, they were just a little too sweet to be everyday breakfast – although they’ll definitely work for breakfast on Valentine’s Day. And they were too hearty to be a regular dessert. So I sat around munching on a bar until it hit me. They were perfect for 10am, after breakfast dessert. Yes, that’s a thing.

These chocolate cranberry quinoa oat bars are hearty, chewy, chocolatey, perfectly sweet, slightly tangy, full of fibre and contain a bit more protein than your usual oat bar. Perfect for satisfying your mid morning cravings. 

[Tweet “Chocolate Cranberry Quinoa Oat Bars #vegan #glutenfree”]

These vegan, gluten free chocolate cranberry quinoa oat bars are hearty, chewy, chocolatey, sweet, slightly tangy with a bit more protein and fibre than your usual oat bar. @ExSloth

Chocolate Cranberry Quinoa Oat Bars
 
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Prep time
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Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast, Snack
Ingredients
  • 1 cup quick cooking oats
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp ground flax
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup dairy-free milk (I used silk almond/coconut blend)
  • 2 tbsp dairy-free chocolate chips
  • 3 tbsp dried cranberries
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F, line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside
  2. Add dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together until well incorporated
  3. Add peanut butter, maple syrup and milk and mix well
  4. Fold in chocolate chips and dried cranberries
  5. Pour the mixture into prepared dish, spread the batter out evenly in the pan and top with extra cranberries if desired
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes and allow to cool fully before cutting
  7. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days

 These chocolate cranberry quinoa oat bars are hearty, chewy, chocolatey, sweet, slightly tangy with a bit more protein and fibre than your usual oat bar. @ExSloth

What about you?

Are you a quinoa fan? Do you ever made quinoa oat bars before? What are your plans for Valentine’s Day?

Share in the comments below!
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Comments

  18. Molly says

    I used old fashioned oats instead of Quick Oats (because I didn’t have them). I just made sure to let the oats soak in the milk while I prepped the quinoa, etc. I was worried they’d be too chewy due to the use of OF oats, but they were perfect! Also– I used honey instead of maple syrup and only used half of the amount to reduce the sugar (since my PB already had sugar in it). They turned out great!

    Reply

  19. Joyce says

    I’ve never cooked a lot with quinoa, but since oats seem to bother my tummy in large quantities, I’ve been experimenting more with the quinoa/oatmeal combination. I’ll have to give these a try!

    Reply

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