Happy Monday Everyone!

Who else enjoys the flavor combination of strawberry & coconut? I surely do! These bars are the perfect snack or dessert; easily enjoyable on the go as well. I also tried to make these as healthy as possible while utilizing whatever I had in my pantry. You can enjoy these strawberry coconut oatmeal bars with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or Greek yogurt or even a vanilla glaze if you wish to do so. I’m perfectly content with the sweetness from the berries, coconut, and a subtle amount of brown sugar!

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: approx. 10

Ingredients

1 1/4 a cup of rolled oats

3/4 a cup of all-purpose flour

1/3 cup of light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon of salt

6 tablespoons of coconut oil

2 cups of small diced strawberries

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 a lemon’s juice = about 1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon sugar or brown sugar

1/2 a cup of coconut shavings or flakes (sweetened or unsweetened)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Take out an 8×8 inch pan and line it with parchment paper.
• In a medium-sized bowl, combine your oats, brown sugar, flour, ginger, salt, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Mix thoroughly. Set aside 1/2 a cup of this crumble mixture.
• Pour the rest of the mixture into the pan and pat down firmly and evenly. Add the coconut shavings on top of that. Then add 1 cup of your diced strawberries on top of the mixture. Spread that all out. Scatter on your cornstarch, sugar and lemon juice. Add the rest of your berries.
• Spread out the rest of your crumble that was set aside. You do not need to press down firmly for this step. Just sprinkle the crumbs on top.
• Place in the oven for 35 minutes to bake. Allow to cool COMPLETELY before cutting and eating these bad boys! That is very important; the bar is flaky and if not fully cooked; may crumble.