Blackberry Chia Jam Breakfast Bars

My breakfasts most often consist of oats or other rolled grains soaked overnight in plain whole fat yogurt in the muesli tradition and then topped with fresh or dried berries — it's a very healthy and filling way to start the day. But there are times when I like to prepare something a little different ahead of time but without sacrificing nourishment or convenience. So I often will make pans of breakfast bars filled not just with oats but also with nuts, seeds, and fruit.

These breakfast bars with a blackberry jam filling have all of the above, and chickpeas too for some extra morning protein and a creamy texture in the cookie-like crust. Like my strawberry jam chia oat bars, these are tasty enough to have for dessert too, even though they have no added refined sugars and just a moderate amount of maple syrup.

These breakfast bars should be stored in the refrigerator — made with coconut oil, they will be too soft if left at room temperature. But they will store well for up to a week if they could last that long.

Blackberry Chia Jam Breakfast Bars

Recipe by Lisa Turner
Published on May 5, 2020

Healthy homemade chickpea and oat breakfast bars with a blackberry jam filling

Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons coconut butter
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2/3 cup raw almonds, slivered or chopped
1 cup blackberry chia jam (*see note)

Instructions:

Line a 8 × 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat an oven to 325°F.
In a small saucepan, melt together the coconut oil and coconut butter over low heat.
In a high-powered blender or food processor, pulse together the chickpeas, melted coconut oil and coconut butter, maple syrup, apple sauce, vanilla, oats, sesame seeds, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until well-combined and a batter forms. Add most of the almonds, and blend until just combined. Stir in the remaining almonds.
Spread 2/3 of the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Gently spread the chai jam evenly over the bottom layer. Drop teaspoons of the remaining batter over the jam layer, covering evenly.
Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan until cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Cut into squares and serve. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to a week.
*Recipe note: If you can't find blackberry chia jam, you can use regular blackberry jam or make your own by mashing a pint of blackberries and then stirring in 1 1/2 tablespoons of chia seeds and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes or until it congeals. Reduce the amount of maple syrup to 2 tablespoons in the recipe if your are making your own jam.

Makes 12 squares