Much of the prep/active time is from shaving the palm sugar, as it is sold in block form, and cutting the butter into the flour. You can use brown sugar or coconut sugar in place of the palm sugar and use a food processor to cut the butter into the flour mixture if you are short on time. This will cut the time down to 15 to 20 minutes. Just keep in mind that the food processor will cut the oats into little bits and will not have the same chewy texture as using a pastry blender. You will also have increased clean up time and lose the arm workout!
Don’t be intimidated by the length of time to make this recipe! It is a healthy and delicious way to use up excess fruit and get those who are not fruit people to get some vitamins in their bodies. Let me know what you think after you try it!
When you’re gifted mango several times during mango season, you start looking for ways to creatively use up the precious fruit, so no one gets tired of it. After searching for many mango recipes, a Mango Bar recipe from Veggie Desserts stood out with its oat crust.
After a few attempts, I adapted the Veggie Desserts’ Mango Bar recipe using palm sugar, some whole wheat flour for whole grains, and increasing the recipe just a little to fit in a 9” x 13” baking pan. That’s how much mango we needed to use up!
Check out my post on How to Cut a Mango for a video and instructions on an easy way to cut mango cubes for pureeing.
Health Benefits: Mango
Mango has tons of fiber to help keep you full and your bowels regular. It does have quite a bit of sugar in it, so we often eat it as is without making desserts out of it.
It’s also a great source of Vitamin C which helps your immune system stay healthy. This is perfect since mango season is during the summer. Any way to help boost my family’s immunity during peak travel season is a win in my book!
Why does this recipe take so long to make?
Honestly, it’s hard work to make food from scratch. That’s why convenience food is so alluring. However, the hard work is worth saving money by using gifted produce and making a dish with less processed ingredients.
Much of the prep/active time is from shaving the palm sugar, as it is sold in block form, and cutting the butter into the flour. You can use brown sugar or coconut sugar in place of the palm sugar and use a food processor to cut the butter into the flour mixture if you are short on time. Together this will cut the time down to 15 to 20 minutes. Just keep in mind that the food processor will cut the oats into little bits and will not have the same chewy texture as using a pastry blender, and you’ll lose the benefit of an arm workout cutting the butter!
Don’t be intimidated by the length of time to make this recipe! It is a healthy and delicious way to use up excess fruit and get those who think they are not fruit people to get some vitamins in their bodies. Let me know what you think after you try it! Rate and comment this recipe below.
Want to try your hand at baking some other recipes? These recipes are easy to make and you’ll want to make them all the time!
Healthier Mango Oat Bars
Equipment
- 9" x 13" baking pan
- parchment paper
- Stainless steel dough blender and cutter
- Large mixing bowl
- Food processor
Ingredients
- Canola oil spray or butter to grease pan
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- ½ cup palm sugar packed
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ cup cold butter cut into cubes
- 3 cups mangoes chopped (equal to about 2 ¼ cup mango puree)
- ¼ cup palm sugar loosely packed
- 1 ½ tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line a 9” x 13” baking pan with parchment paper and spray with canola oail spray or grease with butter.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk the ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 2 cups old fashioned oats, ½ cup palm sugar, ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp baking powder together until well combined. Using a pastry blender or two forks cut the ¾ cup cold butter into the flour mixture until large crumbs form and it looks like sand. Set aside 1 ½ cup of the mixture for the topping and put in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Firmly press the remaining crumb mixture into the baking pan into an even layer. The butter will melt a little from this process and that’s what you want.
- In a food processor blend the 3 cups mangoes, ¼ cup palm sugar, and 1 ½ tbsp cornstarch together until smooth. You will have about 2 1/3 cups of the puree mixture.
- Spread the blended mango mixture evenly over the crust. Get the reserved crumb mixture from the refrigerator and press it between your fingers until the butter is smashed into the flour and oats. If you skip this step, you will have a dry crumble topping. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the mango mixture.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the crumb topping is golden brown and the mango filling is bubbling. You can put the pan on the top rack for the last 10 minutes of baking if your crust looks too pale. The mango filling will still look loose and will firm up when it cools.
- Once cool, use the parchment paper to lift the entire oat bar out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut the oat bar into 24 pieces.
