A delicious recipe for healthy oat and cherry bars sweetened with bananas, raisins and a touch of maple syrup. Easy to make, free from refined sugar and suitable for vegans. A great recipe for kids and adults alike.
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This is a very simple recipe to put together. The kids really enjoyed these cherry bars as an after-school snack. And I was happy that they were enjoying something nutritious, without a lot of added sugar.
These cherry bars would also be great in a lunch box or even for breakfast. In fact the oats make them perfect fare to start the day with.
Cherry cake is so delicious
I love cherry cake and even the thought of one brings back memories of a buttery cake from a packet, stuffed full of bright red glacé cherries, which I often ate as a child.
Now that I'm vegan this cake isn't suitable for me any more.
And as you'll know if you've been here before I love to experiment with lower sugar treats for my family.
How healthy are these cherry bars?
These vegan cherry bars are made with raisins, banana, oats and wholemeal flour. They're sweetened by the fruit and by a little maple syrup.
Of course they don't taste as sweet as a cake made with refined sugar. However, the raisins, bananas and maple syrup do a great job of sweetening them.
I've made this recipe with wholemeal flour to increase the nutritional value. You could substitute plain white flour, or half and half if you prefer.
Interested in healthier sugar choices? You might find this useful - Is there such a thing as a healthy sugar alternative?
What ingredients do you need?
For full recipe, ingredients and quantities go to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- 175 g raisins or dates
- 200 g wholemeal flour or plain flour
- 50 g oats
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 100 ml water
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave syrup
- 100 ml sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- 100 g fresh or frozen pitted cherries
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How to make vegan cherry cake bites
If you have made this recipe I would love it if you’d leave a comment and rating below. Thank you!
Please do not reproduce this recipe without permission.
Healthy oat and cherry bars
Ingredients
- 175 g raisins or dates soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
- 200 g wholemeal flour or plain flour
- 50 g oats
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 100 ml water
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave syrup
- 100 ml sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- 100 g frozen pitted cherries
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C(fan)/200°C/gas mark 6. Grease and base line a 20cm square cake tin.
- Soak 175g raisins or chopped dates in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain and blend to a paste using a high speed blender or food processor. Set aside.
- Place 200g flour, 50g oats, ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- In a small saucepan gently heat 100ml water, 2 tablespoon maple syrup and 100ml sunflower oil, stirring constantly, until well combined. Don't bring to the boil.
- Pour the syrup mixture into the dry ingredients along with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Mix well, then fold in the raisin paste and mashed bananas. Finally stir through 100g cherries.
- Pour into the prepared cake tin and level the surface. Bake for 30-40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes then carefully remove and cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into bars.
- Store in an airtight container for up to three days or freeze.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin cherry bars for later
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Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
I absolutely love the thought of these bites! I love to experiment with healthier ingredients so this will definitely pinned onto my to try board! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Mandy Mazliah
Thanks Kirsty, these were really good. The kids loved them and they don't notice the lack of sugar at all. Hope you enjoy them if you do make them X
Hayley
I'm all for healthy cake substitutes! Love the sound of this recipe. Thanks for linking up to this weeks #CookBlogShare
Mandy Mazliah
It's great to have something healthy for the kids after school especially when they think it's a treat!