Homemade Strawberry Nutri-Grain Bars

“Healthier” Homemade Strawberry Nutri-Grain Bars for all of your snacking needs this Spring and Summer! These sweet treats are made with oats, whole wheat flour, almond flour, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and just a little bit of wheat germ to make these bars healthy…ish. They’re sweet, berry filled, and oh so delicious! The best part is you can use any flavor jam you like! Picture a soft cookie shell, filled with the most delectable, roll your eyes back good strawberry jam…because that’s exactly what these are. The added bonus is that these bars take almost no effort to make! They’re perfectly sweet, jammy, heavy on the berries, super soft, and every last bite is so delicious. Truly the perfect treat to enjoy as an afternoon/after school/homeschool snack or any upcoming Spring/Summer outdoor gatherings with family or friends!

About The Recipe

I have always loved Nutri Grain bars. Even as a kid, they were one of my absolute favorite snacks. I mean, I loved fruit snacks as much as the next kid, but I was always eating a Nutri Grain. It was my go-to!

They made a great bar for me to snack on before swimming or dancing, always gave me a little boost of energy, but as I got older…we realized they aren’t exactly as healthy as we once thought they were. So, now that Spring is on the way and we have a whole ton of fresh berries from the farmers market, we decided to try and make our own version of everyone’s favorite childhood snack!

And, to be totally honest, I think these are actually so much better than the store-bought version. They’re not as sweet, have way more jam, and the cookie shell doesn’t totally take over your mouth.

Which is a total win in our book!

But, these bars definitely didn’t come out perfect the first time. The hardest thing to make was actually the cookie shell.

It took a quite a bit of experimenting and rethinking to finally get it right. The first couple were either to crunchy or just too sweet! We wanted a balance in flavors so, we got to work and dug through our pantry. In there, we actually found lots of good ideas! The first being, almond flour.

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I know it might seem a little strange, but when you think about it…almond flour adds moisture. Our cookies were dry and crunchy the first few times. So, this was an absolute match made in heaven! But, if you don’t have almond flour, don’t fret! You can just omit the almond flour and use equal parts whole wheat and all-purpose flour.

Another idea was wheat germ. Now, if you haven’t already guessed, this isn’t really a copy-cat recipe. It’s more like an updated/improved version!

The wheat germ is really only to give a little bit more nutrition to what’s supped to be a healthy snack. It’s totally optional, but it does actually make these a little bit better for you.

And, if you’re like me, you’re kinda always looking to eat something sweet that’s “healthy”!

Which is also another reason we made these bars. They’re still the perfect grab-and-go snack or even after-school treat!

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowls
• Pastry Cutter/Pizza Cutter
• Sheet Pans
• Parchment Paper

Ingredients

• Rolled Oats
• Whole Wheat Flour
• Almond Flour
• All-Purpose Flour
• Brown Sugar
• Baking Powder
• Eggs
• Vegetable Oil
• Vanilla
• Strawberry Jam

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

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Whisk together the vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla in a small bowl.

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Combine the wet and dry ingredients.

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Divide the dough in half and roll out to about 1/8th inch thick. Cut length wise before cutting across into thirds. Repeat with other half of the dough.

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Transfer a cookie onto a lined baking sheet. Spoon about 1/2 Tablespoon of jam in the middle. Place another cookie over the top and seal around the edges. Repeat until no more dough remains.

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Bake at 35 for 8-10 minutes, or until the bars are lightly browned. Let cool and serve.

Homemade Jam or Store-Bought?

In this recipe, we used homemade! In our opinion, homemade is better because this way, you can control the sweetness…plus, with all of our jams, we add a little bit of lemon juice to give them a little bright pop of flavor! But, store-bought can definitely be used.

How To Store

You can keep these bars in an airtight container or bag and store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. You could also freeze them for about a month!

Substitutions

• You can use any flavored jam you like!
• If you don’t have almond flour, use 1 cup All-Purpose Flour and 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour.

Expert Tips

• The dough needs to be about 1/8th inch thick. Anything thicker or thinner, the bars may not work.
• Be carful when sealing the bars. Don’t squish the jam out!
• Don’t over bake them! These bars need to be soft.
• You can use store-bought or homemade jam.

When you make these Homemade Strawberry Nutri Grain Bars, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.