orange and poppy seed oat bars

So excited were we at the arrival of our new product, Organic Oat Flour, it didn't have a chance to cool its heels before I took some home to put it to delicious use.

And there are so many delicious uses! What I chose to make were these moreish Orange and Poppy Seed Oat Bars.

These Oat Bars come together so quickly and simply, and are an excellent breakfast on the run, a quick refuel with a cup of tea or a nourishing snack popped into a lunch box.

The icing is optional. When making these for breakfast bars I tend to omit the icing, but it's really down to personal preference. You can also reduce the sugar from ⅔ cup to ½ cup if you like.

​Prep Time: 10 min,  Cook Time: 25 - 30 min

Ingredients:
1 cup oat flour
½ cup oat bran
½ cup self raising flour
⅔ cup brown sugar
½ cup Dessicated coconut
1 tbsp poppy seeds
125g butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract 
2 oranges

Icing Ingredients:
1 cup icing sugar 
2-3 tbsp orange juice 

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°c (160°c fan forced). Zest the oranges and put zest aside in a small bowl. Halve and juice the oranges and put the juice aside.

Line a brownie pan (or similar sized pan -  20 x 30cm is good) with baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oat flour and self raising flour. There is no need to sift the flours. Then add the oat bran, brown sugar, desiccated coconut and poppy seeds, mix to combine. Add the melted butter, egg, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla. Gently mix until just combined. The consistency will be a very soft dough. Spread the dough evenly over the lined baking pan, use a spatula to smooth the surface.

Cutting the dough into bars while still raw or after fully baking doesn’t work well. So bake for 10 mins then carefully remove from the oven. Cut into bars of desired size in the pan, then return the pan to the oven and bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until golden. 

Leave in the pan to cool slightly for 15 mins, then transfer them to a cooling rack so they can cool completely.

Icing:
Whisk icing sugar and orange juice together, adding more juice to thin the consistency if necessary. Use a teaspoon to drizzle the icing over the cooled oat bars, then leave them to set for 2-3 hours before placing them in an airtight jar or container.

Keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, or freezer for 3 months.

PIMP MY RECIPE 
Instead of the suggested icing, try a drizzle of melted dark chocolate instead

Here are some variations. Just omit the orange and poppyseed components and add roughly the same amount one of the following suggestions instead:

Chocolate Chip - add 3 tbsp choc chips 
Double Choc - swap the oat bran for cocoa, and add 2 tbsp choc chips
Lemon - zest and juice of 2 lemons instead of the orange but keep the poppy seeds. Use lemon juice in the icing as well.
Cinnamon & Flaked Almond - add 2 tsp cinnamon and ½ cup flaked almonds