Alright, so you know how the nutrition of wheat grain degrades when you crack it open? Well the same principles of oxidation apply to oats. So the original form of an oat is an oat groat which looks very similar to a wheat berry. Whole oat groats have a much lower glycemic index than rolled oats. So this is a much healthier option than oats you buy at the store. I got this oat flaker that is done by hand. We are not huge oatmeal eaters, so this is great for my family. It's more affordable than the others, and it's not hard to crank it by hand. But if I had a large family, I would definitely get an electric one. I used my mill to make the flour with oat groats.
Fresh Milled Soft Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
makes 16 squares
Ingredients:
2/3 cups unmilled oat groats
1 cup fresh flaked oats
1/2 cup coconut sugar or sucanat
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 eggs
1 cup mini chocolate chips (can be dairy free)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Mill the oat groats on the finest setting. Flake the oats with an oat flaker.
Add melted coconut oil to a medium bowl. Add the coconut or sucanat sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla bean paste, and 2 eggs. Add the oat flour and the oat flakes. Mix together well. Add the chocolate chips last. The batter will be very thick. Use parchment paper to line an 8X8 square cake pan, this is my favorite one. Spread the thick batter out, and bake for 15-18 minutes.
Slice and Enjoy!
Hope you make them!
-Michal