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Ooey Gooey Good Magic Layer Bars

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Kids are hard, and I don’t mean literally. 

These sweet magic layer bars, packed with walnuts, chocolate and coconut, are irresistible and ooey gooey good.

Truth be told, they’re rather squishy and malleable. It’s a good thing too or else my baby would never be clothed. Have you ever tried to manipulate a chubby little hand and the attached appendage through a long sleeve onesie, while said human is moving and sometimes even howling? It requires flexibility and dexterity on the child’s side and patience on the parent’s part. Thankfully my kid is extra bendable because patience is not my forte.

These sweet magic layer bars, packed with walnuts, chocolate and coconut, are irresistible and ooey gooey good.

Suffice to say, raising a tiny human has tested my limits and challenged me in ways not even a Tough Mudder or this year’s presidential election could. I can’t even speak of the latter without seeing red, or should I say orange, and yet it’s nothing compared to parenting twenty-four seven.  

And my baby is only six months old.

Send help or better yet, send chocolate; copious amounts of chocolate. 

Preferably in bar form, specifically these.

These sweet magic layer bars, packed with walnuts, chocolate and coconut, are irresistible and ooey gooey good.

Treasure Bars. Magic Bars. Hello Dolly Bars. Seven Layer Bars (minus a layer or three). Better than Sex Bars (from what I can remember, that is).

Call them what you will, these bars are amazing; like come to Jesus amazing.   

They’re sweet, they’re sticky and these days, they are my sanity.

These sweet magic layer bars, packed with walnuts, chocolate and coconut, are irresistible and ooey gooey good.

They’re based on a classic dessert from my youth with some healthy twists and tweaks, and not the kind that sacrifices flavor. Case in point, the base layer is made with butter (organic, happy cow butter, to be sure), dates and my favorite rolled oats from Farmer Direct Co-op because balance. 

These sweet magic layer bars, packed with walnuts, chocolate and coconut, are irresistible and ooey gooey good.

The top layer is a combination of ingredients, with the real stars being crushed walnuts, picture perfect chocolate chips, and shredded coconut. Did I mention the chocolate? All of these lovely components combine to form an ooey gooey, rich, and rewarding magical mouth moment.

Also, these babies are key to my survival. The Boss agrees.

ave-and-meg-baking-october-2016

Ooey Gooey Good Magic Layer Bars
Yields 9
These sweet magic layer bars, packed with walnuts, chocolate and coconut, are irresistible and ooey gooey good.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
28 min
Total Time
38 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
28 min
Total Time
38 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 cup Rolled Oats (gluten free if needed)
  2. 1/4 cup Dates, packed
  3. 1/4 cup Butter
  4. 1 Egg
  5. 1/3 cup Maple Syrup
  6. 1 tsp. Vanilla
  7. 1/8 tsp. Salt
  8. 1 Tbsp. Flour OR 1 Tbsp. Tapioca Starch (if you need these to be gluten free)
  9. 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
  10. 1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped
  11. 1/2 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
  12. 1/4 cup semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Pulse oats and dates in a food processor until mixture is crumbly. Cut butter into oats and dates with a pastry cutter or a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Press mixture into a square eight by eight baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven.
  3. While the crust is baking, use a hand mixer to blend the egg, the syrup and the vanilla. Blend until fully incorporated and mixture is slightly frothy. Add in the salt, the flour and the baking powder and mix for another minute. Using a spoon or a flat spatula, stir in the walnuts, the coconut and the chocolate chips. Spread this mixture over the cooked crust.
  4. Bake the entire thing for another 16 to 18 minutes at 350 until the top starts to become golden brown.
  5. Let cool completely before storing in the refrigerator, which will help them firm up even more.
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These sweet magic layer bars, packed with walnuts, chocolate and coconut, are irresistible and ooey gooey good.

These sweet #magic #layerbars, packed with #walnuts, #chocolate and #coconut, are irresistible and ooey gooey good.

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This post is sponsored by my beloved peeps over at Farmer Direct Co-op, who made my day by teaming up with Equal Exchange, another organic and fair trade cooperative. Be still my hippie loving heart. Ingredients matter, and I like to put my money where my mouth is, followed shortly thereafter by these bars. 

These sweet magic layer bars, packed with walnuts, chocolate and coconut, are irresistible and ooey gooey good. These healthy and easy veggie burgers are packed with flavor. Made with lentils, spinach and oats, they're vegan and gluten free.equal-exchange-chocolate

Do yourself a favor and pick up some Farmer Direct and Equal Exchange products at Whole Foods today. Then make yourself a double batch of these Magic Layer Bars. On second thought, you’re going to want to make it a triple, especially if you have kids.

What would you call these bars? Have you tried the Farmer Direct products yet? They’re the cats pajamas, and they’re having a giveaway on Instagram this month. Check it out. 

Comments

    • I can’t wait to hear what you think about the bars. I hope you have a great road trip and you’re going somewhere fun.

      Also customs better let that chocolate through or there will be hell to pay. Alright fine, I’ll probably just go cry in a corner.
      Meghan recently posted…Ooey Gooey Good Magic Layer BarsMy Profile

      Reply

  2. yum! I remember how hard it was to dress those little babies! I learned the hard way that the Relph Lauren stretchies with the snaps in the back were not ok nor were the stretchies that went over the head rather than just have the snaps down the front. And it took me while to figure out how to do the snaps at the bottom that went by the leg – tricky pattern lol
    meredith @ cookie chrunicles recently posted…What I Ate Wednesday 10.12.16My Profile

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  12. Very funny. Cleary, there’s no Whole Foods in Switzerland. Maybe in 2057 there will be one and I will shouting at them through the casket.
    Anyway, these look delicious and I am jealous I wasn’t there to play with Ave while you were baking and then we would eat bars while Ave is watching. Perfect.
    Send me a wishlist for chocolate and I am going to send you a humongous package.
    Luce@FitSwissChick recently posted…When the lungs fail – currently in October.My Profile

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  13. These are so good looking they are inspiring me to get back to baking! I took a hiatus from cooking but after this week I should be able to get back again. These may be my first move. Love everything about them can’t wait!! Ave is just too precious, I can’t wait to have our monkeys see each other in person. Squishy monkey party!
    Danielle recently posted…WIR sleep less play moreMy Profile

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  16. Better than sex, you say *insert thinking emoji here* I’ll have to test that out. And I would call these MAGIC BARS, like I told you from the very beginning but you didn’t want to listen 😛 I love that these have dates and oats, though, because those two things are MY cats pyjamas. Or they would be if I had cats. You know what i mean.
    Amanda @ .running with spoons. recently posted…one bowl chocolate pumpkin breadMy Profile

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  18. I think it’s awesome that you’re partnering with Equal Exchange! For a project in my workshop, I started researching tea plantations, and I could not believe what I was reading. I knew things were not ideal, but I didn’t realize how bad. Just in the past couple of weeks I’ve started trying to be conscious of buying fair trade.
    I still have yet to bake with dates, but I really should try it. These look so delicious!
    I believe that being a parent must be really hard. Hang in there, Mama! You’ve been doing awesome so far.
    Joyce @ The Hungry Caterpillar recently posted…Kabocha Squash Lentil Enchiladas (Gluten-free, low-FODMAP)My Profile

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  20. These bars look amazing – I’m not sure what I would call them as I have never seen anything like it! So magic works perfectly!
    We have some amazing chocolate here and I wish I could send you some. I really wanted to when I was sending Ave’s gift but our postal regulations are insane for sending to America. I literally can’t send you anything edible… So frustrating!!
    Jen @ Chase the Red Grape recently posted…Does knowing your data make you healthier? #5TTTMy Profile

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    • Hi Molly. Great question. You can cut butter with a pastry cutter or even a fork. It really means to sort of smash and grate the ingredients together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. I hope that helps. If you have any other questions, please let me know.

      Reply

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