4 in 30 Squares (No Bake, GF, DF)

AKA – No Bake Almond Flour Cashew Butter Snack Squares. You had me at Almond Flour as I love the flavour and texture it gives to baked goods. These made with all-natural peanut butter are just as delicious! Yum!  Why are these called 4 in 30 Squares? Read on to find out!

Our younger son was home and I asked him to taste test the finished squares.  He loved them and said, “I just ate 4 in 30 seconds – that’s how good they are!” so, that’s where the name comes from! Our older son also taste tested and he loved them too – had a couple for breakfast even which was fine with me as they are filled with healthy ingredients!  Loved both wonderful endorsements of these squares, and who they are from, which made my heart very happy!

These squares are no bake, are so quick to make with only a handful of ingredients and only need 30 minutes to an hour to firm up in the fridge. They soften at room temperature so store them in the fridge to have them at the ready.

Almond Flour is a good alternative to wheat flour in certain recipes. The difference between almond flour and almond meal is that almond flour is made with blanched, skinless almonds for a finer texture where almond meal grinds the almonds with the skins so it is a courser texture.  It makes a difference for recipes where texture is an important factor. Almond flour is an antioxidant, rich in VitE (heart health) and magnesium (blood sugar blood pressure support) and it is naturally gluten free.  

Oat flour is made from grinding oats into a flour consistency.  Oats are a nutrient dense, gluten free whole grain, high in fiber and higher amounts of protein than other grains and oats are a rich source of manganese and phosphorous and thiamin (VitB1).

Flax Meal – a powerful antioxidant and high in fiber, flax seeds contain Omega 3 fatty acids which promote heart health. The nutrient combination in the tiny but mighty flax seed is attributed to lowering cholesterol, keeping arteries healthy, lowering blood pressure and preventing certain cancers.

Cashews - Rich in fiber, iron, high in magnesium and the unsaturated fat in cashews is predominantly oleic acid (the same as in olive oil). Cashews help prevent cancer, promote a healthy heart and strong bones, and also are good for your skin and hair as they are rich in copper.

As always, when you make 4 in 30 Squares, please post a photo of your loaf goodness and tag my IG account or leave a comment with your thoughts!

Prep Time: 10 minutes / Chill Time: 30 - 60 Minutes / Makes: 8x8 pan 16 squares or 9x6 pan 20 squares

Ingredients

Base:

  • 1½ Cup Almond Flour

  • ½ Cup Oat Flour – simply whirl quick or large flake oats in your food processor until they are a flour consistency – takes 1 minute at most

  • ¼ Cup Coconut Sugar – Alternate: brown sugar

  • 1 Tablespoon Ground Flax Meal

  • 1/3 Cup Cashew Butter – Alternate: all-natural peanut butter or another nut/seed butter of your choice

  • ¼ Cup Coconut Oil

  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla

  • 1-2 Tablespoons Oat Milk – if the mixture is too thick – Alternate: another non-dairy milk of your choice

  • ¼ Cup Chocolate Chips

Topping:

½ Cup Chocolate Chips

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

How It’s Made:

  • Prepare an 8”x8” pan by lining it with parchment paper, with sides overhanging for ease to lift the squares out to cut them.

  • In a small microwavable bowl, or in a small saucepan on the stove top on low heat, melt the cashew butter and coconut oil together.

  • In a medium bowl, add the almond flour, oat flour, coconut or brown sugar and flax Meal and mix together – I use a fork as it works well!

  • Add the melted cashew butter/coconut oil to the dry ingredients along with the vanilla and stir to combine. 

  • The mixture should be a bit wet so add a tablespoon at a time of oat milk if your mixture is dry.

  • Add in the ¼ cup chocolate chips and stir to mix them in.

  • Spread the mixture evenly in the pan.  Set aside.

  • For the topping, Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in a microwavable bowl or on the stovetop over low heat.

  • Spread over the topping. I like to tilt the pan to spread the chocolate over evenly, but a spatula works too.

  • Put the pan into the fridge to set for 30 -60 minutes. You will store the squares in the fridge so they can stay in there as long as you like to set.

  • When ready to serve, remove the pan from the fridge, and lift the squares out with the parchment paper onto a cutting board. Cut in as small or large squares as you wish. When I use a 9x6 pan, I cut 20 squares, if I use a 8x8 then it’s 16 squares.

  • Store squares in an airtight container in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Variations:

  • Swap out the cashew butter for all-natural peanut butter or another nut/seed butter of your choice.

  • Sprinkle course sea salt sparingly over the chocolate topping before putting it in the fridge.

  • If using almond butter, for a triple almond experience, sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the chocolate before putting the pan in the fridge.

Baked Goods, Budget Friendly, Dairy Free, Dessert, Family-Friendly, Gift giving, Gluten Free, No bake goods, VeganRenata Richardson4 in 30 Squares, No Bake Almond Flour Cashew Butter Snack Squares, antioxidant, heart health, blood sugar support, blood pressure support, fiber, fibre, Iron Rich, cashewsComment