Karen Heavey
10.12.2016This looks great, I need to try for my little one 🙂
What are you looking for?
Have you ever made something by chance? Wondered what would happen if you added a bit of this, and a bit of that and put in in the oven with your fingers crossed wishing it to work? Well these blueberry and oat bars are just that thing for me and they are just perfect for baby led weaning 🙂
It all started with an attempt to make a blueberry crumble… with Oscar! He is at that age where he just wants to help with everything from pouring milk from a 2ltr carton into his cup to putting the soap on his hands, by himself before turning on the tap. Needless to say, milk goes on the floor and soap all over the sink but i’m happy he’s such an independent little baby full of the joys of everything around him (and I am pretty much to blame for this independence).
So here is what happened; It was a wet Friday morning and my little boy and I set about to make a yummy blueberry crumble (fyi – the photos attached are not from the first batch!). I had made the blueberry compote the night before so we mixed up the crumble and then I made the error of answering a phone call from a friend. Pushing everything aside, I took Oscar off the chair he was standing on beside me and put him on the floor with his toys.
They say silence is golden, well ‘they’ are wrong!!! Very very wrong if there is a toddler in the house. I had turned my back for less than 10 seconds when he was back up on a chair with the entire jar of blueberry compote poured directly into the oat mixture as he licked sticky jam from his hands …. “mmmm Mam. Awwwcar like jam”. He’s so ridiculously cute these days, I just wish I could bottle these moments to keep forever more.
Out of panic and desperation I managed to salvage as much of the oat mixture as I could but it really wasn’t much so I pressed it into a tin and then crumbled the remaining bits on top of the blueberry mess made by very cute little sous chef.
Into the oven it went and with a big sigh. Perhaps the next recipe would go a little better.
Which leads me to the end result! 15 minutes later, I took this messy looking thing out of my oven and did a little dance! I actually couldn’t believe how it had turned out, it was just amazing, light, deliciously jammy and gooey. Not like a crumble, but more like a cake with jam and crumble on top.
Since that Friday, i’ve refined the recipe so that it is easy for little babies to manage and a little less sticky. I’ve made variations from apple and cinnamon to plum and rhubarb which have both been winners with the older kiddies especially for lunchboxes.
This recipe is so easy to make (even with a little toddler) and it is beyond delicious. Its amazing how the simple things just taste the best.
And then the best part and most exciting thing for me… I made a video! Probably the most terrifying thing I have ever done and I have a whole new respect for people who work in television. If you haven’t been one of the 75,000 people who have watched it on Facebook (I am still in shock at that figure) then here you go. Hopefully this will show you how easy it is to create delicious and healthy baby led weaning recipe for your lovely little babies.
I would love to hear what you think of this recipe and if you have any questions just comment below. I can’t wait to see what you all make!
Aileen & Oscar (a.k.a my lovely little sous chef)
xoxoxo
*
Writen by Aileen Cox Blundell - number one bestselling author, award winning blogger and Mum of 3 kiddies who all eat their veggies.
This looks great, I need to try for my little one 🙂
Would it be ok to substitute the oil for butter? And also skip the bananas as lo can’t eat bananas
Thanks for your reply! I’ll give it a go!
Hi Aileen, I made these this morning and they are amazing!! So tasty and substantial. I ran out of coconut oil so had to do half coconut oil half unsalted butter. They are so moist and perfect for my 8 mth who had one after his mini quiche for lunch today. A couple of q’s? How long will they keep? Do you need to keep them in the fridge or in a lunchbox? Do they freeze ok?And separately I have looked everywhere for unsalted tomato puree ( Aldi, Lidl, Tesco) where can it be got? Michelle Molloy
Could I replace the buckwheat flour with more oats?
If I want to do the apple and cinnamon version is it the same amount of apple as blueberry?
Hey I just made these and I’ve eaten most of them myself!! They are perfect! Just wondering what’s the best way to store them? Fridge or freezer or just airtight container? Or simply devour them all straight away 🙂
Any idea what I can use instead of egg?
Could I use regular flour (or wholemeal flour) instead of buckwheat flour? And melted butter or olive oil instead of coconut oil? Can you tell I forgot some things off my shopping list?! Oops!
Is this really cool completely in oven before removing? Or is it meant to be cool in the tray? The oven will take a loooooong time to cool down. Thanks, it looks delicious.
This is literally the ONLY thing my picky 13 month old will eat everytime without fail! THANK YOU for this recipe! I know she’s getting proper nutrition and a full belly when she eats these 🙂
MOST VIEWED VIDEOS
MOST VIEWED VIDEOS
MOST VIEWED VIDEOS
MOST VIEWED VIDEOS
MOST VIEWED VIDEOS
Leave a comment: