Inspired by a lovely recipe in Livia’s Kitchen, these Blueberry Porridge Squares make a fab healthy breakfast or quick snack in a wonderfully portable format. Best of all they are ridiculously quick and easy to make! Forgot the school bake sale? You can have these done and dusted in under half an hour!
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So hands up who was glued to the Great British Bake Off yesterday? I for one certainly was, except Wednesday night is my running night, so I had to watch an hour late! And avoid all social media until it was over!
But the thing about the Great British Bake Off is that, however much I love watching it – the banter, the innuendo and those incredible bakes…they are not generally things I would make at home, partly because I am just not that artistic…give me a random selection of veg/meat/fish/store cupboard ingredients etc. and I will make you a delicious main course no problem…but give me a cake to decorate and it will probably end in tears!
But the other reason is that, how shall I put this, it’s not exactly a show promoting healthy eating! Now, I’m no killjoy, I do occasionally like a slice of cake – and I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t have said no to any of last night’s bakes…but I couldn’t bake like that on a regular basis or I would end up the size of a house! (Really not sure how baking bloggers manage it), plus my husband was recently diagnosed with high cholesterol and so mustn’t have too much cake/biscuits etc., so it would be cruel if I was constantly baking sweet treats.
However, I have been really interested lately in a whole host of bloggers, instagramers and cookbook authors who have set about to make baking more healthy… Mmm healthy cake – who doesn’t want a slice of that? One of these bloggers is Olivia Wollenberg of Livia’s Kitchen… I discovered her book recently in the library and I’ve been poring over it trying to learn the secrets of healthy baking ever since.
Olivia Wollenberg is the founder of the Livia’s Kitchen brand, which produces sweet treats using simple, healthy and natural ingredients and her book is all about teaching you to reproduce her simple and nutritious cakes, biscuits, puddings and more! It really is an incredible book and I will hopefully be writing a fuller review of it when I have tried a few more of her recipes out.
One of the recipes that really caught my eye was for Blueberry Porridge Squares…which are kind of like a healthy version of flapjack – except not exactly, as they include milk, so are squidgier and chewier and not so likely to result in dental surgery as flapjack!
They are super simple to make, containing only 4 ingredients: oats, milk, blueberries and honey and take just 5 minutes to throw together and a further 25 minutes in the oven, meaning they can be done in less than half an hour…perfect for that bake sale you nearly forgot!!
I have adapted Olivia’s original recipe somewhat – I’ve replaced jumbo oats with regular oats, swapped oat milk for normal cows milk and maple syrup for honey. I also didn’t bother with the vanilla extract she put in hers…and used an old fashioned bowl and spoon rather than a blender as she does. So this is not really her recipe in the end, but I just love my adapted version so much, I had to share it with you…if you want to make Olivia’s version you’ll just have to go out and buy the book! 😉
The method maybe super simple but the result is sooo good – chewy, oaty with just the right amount of sweetness and the blueberries kind of go like jam, yum!
Now these Blueberry Porridge Squares are obviously not as healthy as say, a carrot – they do after all contain a small amount of sugar in the form of honey, but this is beautifully balanced by the heart healthy, slow release energy of the oats, antioxidant rich blueberries and protein and calcium filled milk and they are certainly a lot more healthy than the majority of Bake Off bakes. I have absolutely no qualms at all about giving these to the kids for a snack and they are absolutely brilliant for a little pre-running snack too – I had one of these before my run last night and I felt like I was flying! But best of all, these would make a fab healthy grab and go breakfast – basically porridge topped with blueberries and a drizzle of honey in a convenient portable format! How genius is that?
I have been seriously inspired by these lovely Blueberry Porridge Squares so expect to see more where this came from coming soon…
If you like this recipe…
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Blueberry Porridge Squares
Ingredients
- 300 g oats
- 200 ml milk
- 200 g blueberries
- 100 g honey
- Coconut oil / olive oil for greasing
Plus…
- 20 x 20cm (8 x 8inch) square cake tin
- Baking paper to line it on the bottom and two sides
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200C /180C fan / gas mark 6 / 400F.
- Grease your cake tin with oil, then line with baking paper and grease the baking paper.
- Place the oats and the milk in a bowl and mix together until combined . The mixture will be quite stiff as the oats quickly absorb the milk.
- Add the blueberries and honey and mix thoroughly – some of the blueberries will get squished, don’t worry that’s a good thing!
- Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and flatten.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden on top and quite firm if you press the middle down.
- Allow it to cool for 5 minutes and then remove them from the tin (use the baking paper to help you) and place on a chopping board. Cut into 16 squares.
- The blueberry porridge squares can be eaten warm or cold. Once cold, store in an airtight tin. They will keep well for a few days – if you have the willpower!!
Notes
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Pin Blueberry Porridge Squares for later
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Linkies
I am linking this up to Cook Blog Share.
Disclosure
This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Oooh yum! I love flapjack, especially when it’s soft, chewy and squidgey (I’m really not a fan of extra firm flapjack slices.), these look great Eb, I love how easy they are to rustle up and the lovely blueberries peeking through make them look extra inviting 🙂 Although I’m a massive fan of GBBO, I have to agree that it doesn’t encourage healthy eating with all of the butter and sugar which often goes into bakes. I try to bake smaller quantities, so will usually only bake a batch of upto 6 cupcakes or tarts. Occassionally it doesn’t work out like that if I’m trying a cake but I have some lovely neighbours who are more than happy to try a slice 😉 Even the small batch of cupcakes and tarts will often get shared so Mr E & I will often have just the one or perhaps two portions. Mum always used to quote a couple of old phrases, ‘everything in moderation’ and ‘a little of what you fancy does you good’. 🙂
Angela xx
Eb Gargano says
Well this one is definitely soft and squidgy! And you are right the blueberries do look cute! I love how they go all jammy 🙂 I am a massive fan of GBBO…if only they could find a way to remove all the calories! I would love to see them do a healthy baking week. Actually I have noticed a few ‘healthy’ spins on GBBO bakes since the first episode…Mandy from Sneaky Veg has made some fab jaffa cake flapjacks, for instance – and like you say you can always have just a slice or two of something a bit naughtier as a treat! Looking forward to seeing your GBBO creations this year 🙂 Eb x
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
These sound so yummy and I’d love one for breakfast any day! I take most of my bakes into work or give them away to friends and family so I don’t end up eating them all to myself! Thanks for linking up with #TreatPetite
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Kat, I think that policy seems very wise…it would be far too tempting to have one of your gorgeous bakes sitting in the kitchen! 🙂 Eb x
Mandy says
These look delicious! I wonder how they’d go down at the school bake sale though where the cakes topped with sprinkles or sweets always go first! I have made a few similar things to this but not with blueberries so must give that a try #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano says
Haha – good point Mandy. I always try and make healthier (emphasis on the er) things for the school bake sales and they are never as popular as the things absolutely loaded with icing and sprinkles, but I can’t quite bring myself to cover things in icing and sprinkles…even if it is for a good cause! Thanks for your kind comments. Eb x
Stuart Vettese says
Porridge is one of my favourite foods and I adore blueberries too. This recipe looks like a keeper. Thanks for taking part in Treat Petite!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Stuart 🙂 If you like porridge and blueberries I am sure you will love these!! Eb x
Mads says
They look delicious!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Mads! 🙂 Eb x
Debs Fellowes says
This does look like a great recipe but I can’t stand blueberries!! Do you think they would work as well with raspberries or another soft fruit? Thank you
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Debs! Yes – this works with any soft fruit… raspberries for sure… it would also work with dried fruits (e.g. diced dried apricots), nuts and seeds. I even did a cranberry version a couple of Christmases ago >>> https://www.easypeasyfoodie.com/cranberry-cinnamon-pecan-porridge-squares/ Eb x
Michelle Rolfe says
Oh these look tasty! I hope my blueberry plants produce enough this year! Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Michelle x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Michelle – I imagine these would be even more tasty with home-grown blueberries 😀 Eb x
Melissa Altman-Traub says
This looks very simple and like a great way to get kids to eat oatmeal.
Eb Gargano says
Thank you – it is definitely both those things! Eb 🙂
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
I make something very similar to this for my little boy and he loves them, so I can imagine how delicious these are!
Eb Gargano says
Great minds think alike – it’s such a great way to get goodness into small children, isn’t it? Eb 🙂
Jenny Walters says
I love a bit of baking inspiration too! These sound very clever and you had me at jammy! I admit I really do struggle with all my baking for the blog. I have the will power of a jelly..no baking backbone! So love the sound of these healthy flapjacks! Thank you for sharing them with #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano says
Haha – thanks Jenny. I find it very hard to resist temptation too… which I why I am NOT a baking blogger! Eb 🙂
Mandy Wright says
These look lovely! Im going to make these tomorrow but Im wondering if you can use frozen blueberries as thats all i have. if so, do i need to defrost them first? Thanks x
Eb Gargano says
Thank you. Frozen blueberries will work just as well, but yes, I do recommend that you defrost them first. Eb 🙂
Kelly says
I am giving this a try, can I use frozen blueberries?
Eb Gargano says
Absolutely! Let me know how you get on 😀