Maple Almond Oat Bars

I love these long autumn evenings. The smell of the coming winter is in the air and every day the landscape changes as the colors get more vibrant and the earth reveals her hidden form beneath all the leaves and grass.

The cool misty evenings just beg for a glass of warm apple cider, and these maple almond oat bars accompany it perfectly.

Ingredients

Almond Butter:
1/2 cup almonds, finely ground
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/3 cup coconut butter, melted

Almond Bars:
3 cups One Degree Organics Quick Oats
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp almonds, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line an 8 x 8 inch square baking pan or pie pan with parchment.

In a small bowl combine first 5 ingredients to form almond butter. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl mix Quick Oats and salt. Add in almond butter mixture and maple syrup and mix together well.

Pour into prepared pan and press firmly into pan. Sprinkle chopped almonds on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden but yet soft in the center.

Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then score. Allow to cool completely before removing from pan. Store in an airtight container or freeze.