Dried Plum, Apricot & Coconut Breakfast Bars

by | Updated: December 3rd, 2016 | Read time: 2 minutes

Apr
17

Unlike pre-packaged and processed breakfast bars, this made-from-scratch, fruit-filled version lacks added sugar. This should help keep you from face-planting into your keyboard an hour after eating. Besides, when you cook with real fruit and plant-based sweeteners you don’t even need the caloric white sand. What you do want from your first meal of the day, though, is healthy fats to help energize and keep you feeling full until lunch. With the help from dried apricots and plums, coconut nectar and a sprinkle of shredded coconut, these bars provide all the natural sweetness and satiation you need…and then some.

Apricot & Plum Breakfast Bars
Take these breakfast bars over the top with a dusting of shredded coconut.

 

Dried Plum, Apricot and Coconut Breakfast Bars
Recipe courtesy of The Nourished Kitchen

Ingredients

1 ½ cups dried, unsulphured apricots
1 cup dried, unsulphured plums
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour or sprouted grain flour
½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut, plus extra for dusting
½ tsp. sea salt
½ cup coconut oil, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup coconut nectar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F and grease and flour an 8’ x 8” square baking dish.
  2. Place apricots and plums in a small saucepan, cover with water by about one inch and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Continue to simmer until plumped and softened, about 10 minutes.
  3. Drain the fruit and pour into a food processor.
  4. Add cinnamon and process until fruit becomes a smooth paste.
  5. Scrape the paste into a bowl, cover and let rest at room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
  6. In a large mixing bowl, stir the flour and coconut with salt. Work in the coconut oil and vanilla extract until the flours resemble cornmeal.
  7. Beat in the coconut nectar. The batter will become firm and sticky.
  8. Use your hands to press the batter into the baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until it becomes a caramel brown on top and is firm to the touch.
  9. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Spread the dried fruit paste over the baked breakfast bar base while it’s still hot, sprinkle with extra coconut and allow it to cool before cutting into 2-inch squares.