Sweet and chewy Blueberry Coconut Oat Squares – made with easy to source gluten free ingredients and topped with a lemon glaze
I’ve had a serious revival in my love for blueberries lately. Throw them in cookies, throw them in salads, just throw them in anything and I’m all about it. It’s fitting considering these blueberry coconut squares just got a little revival of their own.
Originally I set out to make these blueberry oat cookies for possibly the 80th time.
I’ve been making every excuse to make those cookies again and again because I just love them so much. This time my excuse was to make a video to go along with it. I’ve been trying to start making videos to go along with recipes, but it’s been a bit of a learning curve. I figured the blueberry cookies would be a nice, easy recipe to practice on since they’re dead easy to make. It was only after I gathered all my ingredients that I realized I was out of All Purpose flour which put an end to those plans.
I don’t know about you, but once I decide that I want sweets I just gotta have them. There’s just no getting around it. No. Way.
After my 15 second pity party I decided to change course and revisit this recipe. I had the blueberries, I had the oats, I had the camera out. Why not? It’s been such a long time since I first made these blueberry coconut oat squares….too long I’m realizing!
I kept cutting small slices off of these little squares as I was taking pictures. A slice here, a sliver there…if the slice is smaller than your pinky finger it doesn’t count, right?….even if you probably end up eating at least 3 whole ones in the end? I think so. #math
I added a glaze to these new bars because lemon glazes make the world a happier place, but these are still just as good if you want to give it a pass…skipping the glaze also means that you don’t have to wait as long for the bars to cool before digging in so there’s a plus.
Coconut Blueberry Oat Squares
Sweet and chewy Blueberry Coconut Oat Squares - made with easy to source gluten free ingredients and topped with a lemon glaze
Ingredients
- 4 large free-range eggs
- 1/4 cup (85 grams) maple syrup or honey*
- 1/4 cup (54 grams) coconut oil melted
- 1 teaspoons (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup (112 grams) unsweetened desiccated or shredded coconut
- 1 cup (90 grams) rolled oats**
- 3 tablespoons (21 grams) coconut flour
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) blueberries fresh of frozen
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar, (125 grams)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and lightly grease/oil a 8ix8 inch baking tray .
- In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs. Add the maple, the melted coconut oil, and the vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Stir in the desiccated coconut, the oats, flour, and salt. Gently stir in the blueberries.
- Press into your greased baking tray and bake for 30-45 minutes or until the top begins to turn slightly gold and set.
- Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool before adding the glaze. If you add the glaze before it's cooled it will melt into the squares.
- To make the glaze whisk the powdered sugar and the lemon juice until no lumps remain. Drizzle over the top of the bars and enjoy
Notes
Maple makes this Low Fodmap but feel free to sub with honey if that isn't your concern
*Make sure that you get certified gluten free certified gluten free oats if you are Coeliac or especially sensitive to gluten and cross contamination.
Michelle Miu says
Hey Sarah,
I’ve just made these oat bars, I’ve added 2 tablespoons of black chia seeds and replaced honey with maple syrup instead but the bars turned out to be very dry 🙁 What should i do to make it moist and chewy? Thanks xx
Sarah says
Hi Michelle! Sorry to hear they were too dry for you!
A couple things that might have made them dry: adding the chia seeds might have made a difference. Chia seeds absorb moisture all around them so it’s possible that adding those extra tablespoons might have been enough to suck up any extra moisture making it drier than it should be. The only other thing that I think it could possibly be would be how you measured them coconut flour & oat flour. They are both also very absorbent ingredients (coconut flour especially). If you used measuring cups/spoons and packed the flour in when measuring it out it might have been just a bit too much. Usually with coconut flour it’s best to lightly scoop or spoon the flour into your measuring device.
Other than that I’m not sure what it could be – the maple shouldn’t have made any difference. I hope that helps but if not feel free to leave another comment/email me again and I try my best!
Mari says
Hi! I don’t have coconut flour, and am not very familiar with how it affects baked goods structurally, etc. Is there a good substitute or do I need to break down and buy some? I’d love to make these tonight but the coconut flour is making me a little unsure. Thanks!
Sarah says
Hi Mari! Coconut flour is pretty difficult one to substitute in baking since it’s such an absorbent flour. In my experience, you can sometimes get away with subbing 1 cup grain based flours for 1/4 cup coconut, but it’s not a fool proof substitution
Sarah says
Hahah, thanks Karen! I do spoil everyone over here with all these baked goods
Sarah says
Coconut and blueberries are a match made in heaven – just like blueberries and breakfast!
If it’s weird then I’m right there with you! I’m all about my colorful food so I just love it!
Sarah says
Excellent! Hope you like them as much as we did over here!
Sarah says
Thanks Katalina, delicious and healthy is what I aim for!
Devona Neal Ellis says
Can these be made vegan, with flax egg substitute or chia egg sub. Would that still result in what is shown here
Sarah says
Hi Devona! I’ve never tried this recipe with vegan egg substitutes, so I can’t say for sure what the end result would be. I do think it would probably translate well though with chia/flax eggs. If it were me, I would probably try it with two egg substitutes and then add a liquid like applesauce or maybe even a banana to add moisture. Coconut flour can be very absorbent in baking which is what the eggs help with in this recipe so keep that in mind if you try it. If you do happen to try it – let me know! I’d love to hear how it turns out 🙂
Sarah says
Hi Kavey! Me too – blueberries in baked goods always look gorgeous
Sarah says
Thanks Leisel!
It always bugs me when you watch food programs and everything is perfectly prepared and pre measured in neat little glasses ready to go without a spill in sight. YEAH RIGHT.
On the other hand, if you’re the only person in the house who likes coconuts then you don’t have to share 😉
Chelsea says
If I forgot to buy the coconut, can I still make these? And am I able to make these in a muffin form?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Chelsea! It’s really hard to say without testing them out myself first. There’s quite a bit of coconut in this recipe so leaving it out will change the outcome quite a bit. If you’re up for playing around with the recipe you could always try using more oats in place of the coconut. That being said, you might be better off finding a blueberry muffin recipe that you know you can count on working. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful here!
Sarah says
Yes exactly! And the look of disappointment when he realizes that he has to wait a bit longer for food – the struggle is real!