Aussie Bites Recipe

Gluten Free Vegan Aussie Bites 

The kiddies are back to school and with that comes the challenge of making fun snacks that pack a punch of nutrition but also are 'kid approved'. 

This week I saw some Aussie Bites at Costco and wondered 'how hard would those be to make at home for my gluten free egg free daycare crew?'

Being a busy women I am the firm believer of 'why recreate the wheel' especially if I do not have to so off to Google to search for Aussie Bite  recipes others may have already created for these tasty little nuggets. I found a great one over at Oh My Veggies that fit our dietary needs so I thought I would give a go ~ we got 10 thumbs up around the table with these!  

You will need the following:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cups oat flour *see note below
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup unsalted roasted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup flaxseed meal (make sure it is meal and not just seeds)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I personally do not add salt but original recipe has it)
• 1/2 cup raisins 
• 1/2 cup dried apricots (we added Craisns as well think you could do any dried fruit)

Love my Blendtec

Bakers Notes: If you cannot find Gluten Free oat flour you can make your own using gluten free rolled oats,  ~ I love my Blendtec to make my gluten and grain free flours at home so I can help ensure they ARE indeed gluten or grain free. Whatever you choose you just would need to pulverize approximately 2 cups of oats in a food processor until it reaches the consistency of flour, and then measure 1 1/2 cups of the flour for the recipe. 

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. I love baking with my silicone moulds cause they do not need any extra prep but if you are using something else the original recipe says to spray the cups of a mini-muffin pan with non-stick spray or rub with a little coconut oil to prevent sticking.
• Heat the coconut oil and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until coconut oil has melted. Set aside. If you have a microwave you can also heat it up in there just be careful it does not boil over and make a mess on you. 
• In a Blendtec or food processor or hand chopper depending on what you have, add oat flour, oats, and sunflower seeds. Pulse a couple of times until the seeds and oats begin to break up. Add the coconut, flaxseed meal, baking powder, and salt. Pulse to mix.
• Add the raisins and dried apricots ~ we liked a few craisins as well and pulse until the apricots are approximately the size of peas. 
• Pour the melted coconut oil and maple syrup over the dry ingredients, then pulse just until combined. Transfer to a large bowl and stir well to make sure all ingredients are well-combined. If any of the dried fruit sticks together in clumps, separate and distribute them throughout the mix. 
• Scoop by the heaping tablespoonful into the cups of the mini muffin pan ~ Pampered Chef has a great scoop I love from my time when I was a consultant with them ~ 15 years later and it is still working awesome.
• With your fingers, press each gently but firmly to pack and flatten or if you are making for non family members like me you can use the Mini Tart Shaper to reduce any 'germ' contamination of the fingers. 
• Bake for about 12 minutes until set and edges are golden.
• Remove from oven, allowing to cool for about 10 minutes. In my experience silicone muffin tins allow you to just pop them out but if you used a 'tin' you might need to gently use a butter knife to help pop each bite out of its respective tin; carefully remove from tin and place on a wire rack until completely cool and set. They may be fragile until completely cooled ~ I personally left mine in the 'silicone' a until they were mostly cooled to help with that.

This recipe yields about 48 separate muffins ~ you can bake in two or three batches if you only have a 12 or 24 cup muffin pan with no issues. 

Once baked keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days or freeze in a Ziploc bag or airtight freezer container.

My must have tools suggestion to help make baking easier:

Measuring Scoops for baking ~ perfect sized everytime

Mini Tart Shaper - keep those fingers clean

  Pampered Chef Stackable Rack
great for space saving I have 4 of them I can stack on top of each other!

If you give them a try ~ let me know how your crew enjoyed them!

I am wondering if some 'dark chocolate chips' might be a nice addition next time around?

Have an amazing day!
Margaret 
Life Well, Laugh Often, Love Much!
Totallyawake4-life