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Looking for a healthy homemade toddler snack? These applesauce oat bars are made in one bowl with minimal sugar, and are full of fiber and fruit. Great for on-the-go snacks and easy to freeze for later, you’ll love these oatmeal applesauce bars with strawberries.

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I am one of those people who happen to love apple flavors all year long. But, let’s give it a strawberry twist!

These apple oatmeal bars with added strawberries are quick, easy and absolutely delicious. They actually resemble a baked oatmeal, cut into bars.

I may have to try similar with my apple pumpkin baked oatmeal or sweetpotato oatmeal bake.

And of course – a great way to get extra fiber into kiddos, thanks to whole grain oats and fruit.

They have the taste and texture of homemade nutri grain bars, without all of the sugar and extra ingredients.

We relied on applesauce pouches as snacks for so long, but we’re almost out of that phase now. But I still have so many applesauce pouches to get rid of!

So, I got to experimenting with these oat applesauce bars and by the third test, they were perfect, and now I love to add them to my healthy 18 month old meal ideas.

The applesauce helps with the perfect texture and adds some natural sweetness too!

Why You’ll Love Applesauce Oat Bars

• Delicious soft texture – I love serving these applesauce oatmeal bars to toddlers because they are nice and soft, full of fiber and some healthy fats, and sweet enough without being overly sweet. They resemble Nutrigrain bars, but way better and so much less sugar – great for an afternoon snack!
• Can serve as breakfast like a baked oatmeal – These oatmeal applesauce bars hold up nicely and can be cut and served as a baked oatmeal, too, offering a nutrient-rich breakfast option that can be prepped ahead of time! Pair with eggs, squash egg muffins, a DIY yogurt pouch or nut butter to add more protein and healthy fats.
• Good source of fiber – Thanks to whole grain oats, fruits, and any possible add-in’s you may include, these delicious bars offer a couple of grams of fiber each. You can serve each chewy bar with additional fruit, nuts or seeds to increase that number.
• Easy for meal prep and easy to freeze – I love snacks to have on hand during the week, and these oatmeal applesauce bars are so easy to make for the week. Make an extra batch to freeze!
• Just one bowl and 10 ingredients! No need to dirty up all of your bowls in the process of making these healthy toddler breakfast bars. You just need one!

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make these oaty bars for toddlers – just 10 main ingredients!

• Flour – All purpose flour helps keep these applesauce oatmeal bars light and soft! I did not test with a gluten-free flour.
• Oats – I recommend rolled oats or quick cooking oats
• Brown Sugar – We’re only using about 1/4 cup of brown sugar, so if you’d like these bars sweeter, you can add a bit more. I like to sprinkle some on top before baking these oatmeal bars with applesauce. You could also use coconut sugar, pure maple syrup or honey.
• Unsweetened applesauce – This is the secret ingredient in making these healthy oatmeal bars. If you use sweetened applesauce, you may be able to omit or reduce the brown sugar. You could also substitute mashed banana for applesauce
• Butter – You can also use coconut oil if you prefer, but to me, there’s nothing like a buttery baked good!
• Egg – The egg is an important binder in this recipe. A flax egg should also work.
• Vanilla extract
• Cinnamon
• Baking Powder
• Strawberries– Adding strawberries or other fruit is totally optional, but I like the texture and some extra fruit and fiber is always a good thing! We’ve also made these oat applesauce bars plenty of times without strawberries and they are still delicious!

You could also add of your favorite different add-in’s, such as chocolate chips, chopped nuts, raisins, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, ground flax seeds or hemp seeds.

How to Make Toddler Oatmeal Bars with Applesauce

I love making these oatmeal bars with applesauce because you only need one bowl! We aim to make it super simple.

First, mix your dry ingredients in a medium bowl (flour, oats and spices).

Then, add in your wet ingredients (egg, applesauce, butter, vanilla extract, brown sugar) and stir well.

Then, grease an 8×8 baking pan or place parchment paper on the bottom, and transfer the oatmeal applesauce batter to the baking pan.

This is where I love to sprinkle a bit of brown sugar on top that caramelizes a bit when it bakes.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Recipe Tips

• These strawberry oatmeal breakfast bars really do have the taste and texture of DIY nutri grain bars! Feel free to swap strawberries for blueberries, diced apples, or even dried fruit.
• To add extra fiber and protein, throw 1-2 Tablespoons of chia seeds, flax seeds or hemp seeds to the batter before baking. Or, top with nut butter or yogurt.
• I like to sprinkle a bit of brown sugar on the applesauce oatmeal bars batter before baking. It caramelizes during baking and tastes delicious!
• You can store these oatmeal applesauce bars in an airtight tupperware at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.

• Healthy carrot cake bars
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Servings 12 bars

Delicious One Bowl Applesauce Oat Bars

Sarah Schlichter, MPH, RDN

Looking for a healthy homemade toddler snack? These applesauce oat bars are made in one bowl with minimal sugar, and are full of fiber and fruit. Great for on-the-go snacks and easy to freeze for later, you'll love these oatmeal applesauce bars with strawberries.

5 from 1 rating

Print Pin

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• 1.5 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup applesauce unsweetened
• ¼ cup brown sugar + 2 Tablespoons
• 1 egg
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 Tablespoons ground flax optional
• 1/2 cup strawberries, diced optional

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients.
3. Add wet ingredients to the same bowl and stir well, adding diced strawberries in last.
4. Transfer oatmeal applesauce mixture to greased 8×8 baking pan or use a piece of parchment paper.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until fork comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before enjoying.

Notes

To store: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

To freeze: Place bars in a freezer-friendly tupperware container or stasher bag and freeze for up to 3 months. I like to freeze them between parchment paper so they don't stick.

Equipment

Spectrum Essentials Organic Ground Flaxseed, 24 Ounce (Pack of 1)

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 189kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 148mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7g

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