Coffee Almond Butter Oat Bars

Almond butter oat bars with a coffee twist! These bars are vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, no-bake and call for just 4 simple ingredients.

Italy’s favourite coffee was featured on the blog a few days ago with the Mocha Protein Oats recipe that fuelled my recent summer music festival adventures. So, what else do I like to get up to in the summer months?

Well, I live in Vancouver and happen to have an endless number of hiking trails at my doorstep! So, you guessed it, outdoor adventures it is! And what better way to fuel up for hiking than with some delicious, coffee-inspired Café Almond Butter Oat Bars?!

I’d say the views, nature, the great workout and feelings of accomplishment are my favourite things about hiking but lets be honest here, it’s all about the food.

Just 20 minutes from Vancouver you can be on the North Shore hiking Lynn Canyon or starting a hike into the backcountry, or you can venture a little further and explore Squamish, Whistler, the Fraser Valley, Howe Sound or even farther east towards Hope. We. are. so. very. lucky.

Did I mention that after your hike you can choose swimming in a river, lake or the ocean? It’s pretty great.

If we’re taking the dogs along, we usually opt for a shorter, more manageable hike such as Jug Island, Norvan Falls, Lighthouse Park or even just a walk in Pacific Spirit or Stanley Park. At just 20 lbs. each and full of energy, they love hiking but don’t last much longer than 3-4 hours without wanting to pass out mid-trail. If the pups are staying home we can really get serious and climb for those epic views.

We love hiking around up Seymour, Cypress and Grouse and have also explored Squamish, Ridge Meadows and more. This season we’ve hiked Goat Mountain, St. Marks Summit, Eagle Bluffs and Cabin Lake, as well as the Grouse Grind a few times.

We have a few longer hikes planned for before the season ends. We plan on hiking Eaton Lake near Hope, BC and Garibaldi Lakes which starts off from Whistler. These are longer, full-day hikes that climb into the backcountry and offer spectacular, high mountain lakes as a reward at the end of a tough climb.

Black Tusk, Joffre Lakes and Brandywine Meadows are all on the list too but I think those will have to wait for next year.

On long hikes I like to bring a bag of trail mix, plenty of water, some bars like these addictive and delicious Café Almond Butter Oat Bars, hummus and avocado sandwiches or wraps and most often, chocolate for a treat! I love a bag of crispy kale chips too. Food just tastes better on a hike, doesn’t it??!

I don’t usually eat much before heading out but these bars are a perfect little pre-hiking snack. Store-bought oat bars are typically made with a ton of butter and refined sugar.

Made with almond butter and sweetened with maple syrup, these bars are a healthier alternative.

They are still quite high in sugar though, so I’d recommend them before activity such as hiking so you can put those carbohydrates to good use!

Café Almond Butter Oat Bars

• Author: Deryn Macey
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 10 mins
• Yield: 16 1x
• Category: Snack, Bar, No-Bake
• Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free

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Ingredients

• 3 cups quick oats
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup natural almond butter (peanut butter works too)
• 4 tbsp finely ground coffee
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

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Instructions

1. Add the oats and salt to a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a small sauce pan, stir together the almond butter, ground coffee, maple syrup and vanilla. Melt over low heat, stirring continuously until it’s smooth, creamy and completely blended. This should take about 5-10 minutes.
3. Pour the almond butter mixture over the oats and stir to combine.
4. Press the mixture into a saran or wax paper-lined 7” square baking pan. Using your fingers or the back of a large spoon, take a few minutes to really work it in.
5. Place in the freezer for at least 2 hours.
6. Lift out of the pan and cut into 16 squares.
7. Store in the fridge or freezer.

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