Healthy Chikki is the OG energy bars of Indian cuisine.Nuts chikki like peanut chikki, varo (dry fruits chikki) is the Indian brittle or praline I grew up with. It is an easy sweet and needs little cook time. This is a must for Diwali in Sindhi households. Most people also make it for Makar Sankranti. These sweets are a powerhouse of vitamins and anti-oxidants. Diwali and Sankranti both come during the beginning of autumn and near end of winter.
Generally we make different types of chikki out of peanuts, mix of almond, walnuts and pistachios, sesame seeds. All these ingredients are great for protein and also increase body heat. wholesome oats and dates bar is a unique way of having oats. It resembles the nut based granola bars.
What are the unique ways of having oats?
I try to incorporate oats in many ways into my diet. They are great for health and for weight loss. Great even for a toddler and older kids. However I cannot have it cold. I just can't. This recipe is for people who cannot have it cold as overnight oats I can have oats as a smoothie or as a brittle. You can also roast oats and powder them. Add it to roti. Oats dhokla and laddoo are also a great way to add it to your diet.
Roasted nuts are great for protein. Jaggery is good for iron. Oats are quite filling. Hence, this recipe is more nutritious than having a bar of chocolate. It actually resembles granola bars. A great pick me up between meetings. Healthy and flavorful yet something sweet. You can also break this brittle and drizzle over ice cream for extra crunch. I love having it that way too.
Top tip
Cook the jaggery until it turns brittle. When you drop bit of hot jaggery in cold water it should turn hard as mentioned below in the recipe.
Ingredients
- rolled oats
- mixed berries / chopped medjool dates
- jaggery / palm sugar
- Pinch of salt
- coconut oil for vegan option or ghee /clarified butter for vegetarian option
refer to recipe card for details.
How to make oats chikki?
- Dry roast oats in a pan. Keep it aside.
- In a non-stick pan, heat a spoonful of oil and add jaggery to it. Keep stirring for 10 minutes on a low flame or until jaggery dissolves.
- Check if the jaggery is good to use, by adding a drop in a bowl of water. It should harden. If it is not ready, cook for a few more minutes.
- Turn off the flame and add oats, raisins, dried berries. Mix well.
- Spread the oat mixture on a baking sheet and press with a rolling pin. Make incisions while it is warm.
- Store in an air-tight jar once it has cooled.
Related links
Oats chikki | Oats praline recipe
Equipment
- parchment paper
- pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup dried mixed berries / chopped medjool dates
- ½ cup jaggery / powdered brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil /ghee /clarified butter for vegetarian option
Instructions
- Dry roast rolled oats for 10 mins on low flame. Keep it aside.
- In a pan, add coconut oil and jaggery.
- Mix on low flame, Keep stirring for 10 minutes.
- In bowl of water, add a drop of hot jaggery to check if it is brittle.if not, cook further for few minutes and retry the same process.
- Once cooked,turn off the flame.
- Chop the ingredients in food processor and add all ingredients to pan ,mix well.
- Spread mix on parchment paper or a greased tray. Press evenly using a rolling pin.
- Draw desired incisions using a knife,allow it to cool.
- Break it along the incisions.
- Store in an airtight container.
Variation and substitutions
You can add a spoonful of any nut butter and maple syrup to the recipe as per your choice. You can use ghee or clarified butter instead of coconut oil for vegetarian option. Add some chocolate chips to these oatmeal date bars for your kids. This way you know they eat healthy while they love it has some chocolate too.
Storage
store this in an air tight jar at room temperature.
FAQ
rolled and quick oats have a similar nutritional value.Quick oats are steamed longer and rolled thinner hence, they are quick to soften.
1 cup oats calories are roughly has 300 calories.
Pure oats are gluten free but they may be processed in same facility as barley, wheat and rye. Hence, always refer to the packet.
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