Strawberry Espresso Bars

The other day I was by my friends house flipping through her magazine collection. As I was reading it I cam across these strawberry bar recipes. I loved the idea of using seasonal fruit and making a breakfast crisp bar with them. Breakfast is not complete without coffee…am I right? So why not combine the two. And make Strawberry Espresso Bars.At first I was iffy about the combination nervous about the coffee being too bitter in these bars. But it is exactly what it needed to give it that slight bitterness to cut the sweetness from the fruit. It looks way more complicated than is but in fact its pretty easy.Its all about having patience to wait for them to set in the fridge. But thats the key to getting them to hold together. Its a great refreshing light treat during a summer afternoon. Plus I had a ton of strawberries that I bought the other week and I was dying to use them. My family was really excited about taste testing this one because they are all coffee addicts like myself.The middle layer is a similar version of my chia jam and I had no intentions of making it that way. But as I put it together im like waittt this sounds familiar then checked out out my chia jam recipe…I love how the chia seeds expand and work like a gel. But don’t freak out if it doesn’t gel when making this. It will cook and stay put once you put it in the freezer to set.I love using Bai5 here because it acts as a natural sweetener and gives it even more berry flavor! Its an optional add in to give it even that more touch of sweetness

Crust:

• 2 cups oats
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup whole coffee beans
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup Brasilia Blueberry
• 4 tablespoons almond butter
• 2 cups dates

1. In a food processor process oats, coconut, coffee beans, baking powder and cinnamon till flour forms.
2. Add blueberry bai, almond butter and dates till a sticky dough forms.
3. Set aside 1 cup of your dough. with the remaining dough press it down evenly in a 9×9 inch pyrex or baking pan.

Filing:

• 3 cups strawberries cut up (fresh or frozen works)
• 1/2 cup dates
• 2 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/3 cup blueberry bai 
• 1/3 cup coconut

1. In a food processor or blender, blend strawberries, dates, chia seeds, blueberry bai till its smooth. Note: I left mine with some chunks of strawberry because I enjoy it that way.
2. Spread the strawberry mixture on top of your base layer
3. sprinkle 1/3 coconut flakes on top of the strawberry  mixture
4. with your remaining 1 cup of oat mixture. Sprinkle it on top of the strawberry mixture. 
5. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 then set aside to cool. Once cooled place in the freezer for at least two hours to set then cut right away  into bars 12.  Store in the freezer serve frozen