Dream Bars Two Ways

Fruit hummus is the star ingredient in these easy, decadent desserts.

One of the first desserts I learned to make as a kid were Caramel Oat Dream Bars: an ooey gooey melty combination of everything that kids (and adults) love: brown sugar, butter, caramel, chocolate. They’re one of those desserts you can’t just have one of—you find yourself coming back to the plate again and again: just one small piece more, one more little nibble, and so on and so on.

Not only are they super delicious, but they’re so beyond easy: you make them in the microwave. In short, they’re perfect for holidays, when there is no such thing as enough dessert, but oven space is in short supply.

When Lantana gave me some of their new fruit hummus to try, I knew I had to find a way to incorporate it into my favorite dessert—and come up with a new, fruit-forward spin on this tradition.

You’re probably asking right now what fruit hummus is, and let me tell you, it’s a brand new way to experience hummus. It’s a sweet version of hummus—perfect for breakfasts and desserts—that gives you a super satisfying sweet / salty flavor bomb no matter how you use it. (check #fruithummus on IG for some more inspiration; the #sweatpink fam is sharing all sorts of creative recipes, like stuffed french toast and loaded nachos and beyond).

Back to my dessert. This updated version is entirely whole-foods based. I won’t go so far as to call it healthy—there’s a generous helping of butter and sugar, YUM, but subbing out the caramel with fruit hummus means there’s no corn syrup involved, and even some protein (yasss).

This recipe is incredibly forgiving. It calls for a 9×13 glass pan, but you could easily make it in several smaller pans. If you don’t have hemp hearts or cacao nibs, leave them out and it will still taste delicious. You can sub any kind of flour. If you don’t have two containers of one flavor of hummus, you could do half-and-half: one side Cherry Chocolate, one side Mango Macadamia. In short, you can probably make it work with whatever is in your pantry.

I made two variations, one with Cherry Hummus and one with Mango Hummus, and they’re both pretty darn delicious. Here’s how to get it done (in the microwave!):

Cherry Hummus Chocolate Dream Bars

Ingredients

• 1.5c Quick Oats
• ¾ c flour (sub any kind of flour)
• ⅓ c hemp hearts
• ¼ c cacao nibs (optional)
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ⅔ c packed brown sugar
• ⅔ c butter
• 2 containers Lantana Cherry Hummus
• ½ c sliced almonds
• ½ c chocolate chips or chunks
  

Directions

• Optional: toast the almonds in a dry pan, and set aside to cool.
• Stir together oats, flour, sugar, hemp hearts, cacao nibs, and baking soda.
• Melt butter and stir into oat mix
• Spread 1 cup of the oat mix into an ungreased glass dish and microwave for one minute, then stir. Microwave for another minute, and stir, until it turns into a crumbly texture. You’re aiming for a crumble that’s a bit softer than granola. You’ll likely need 2-3 minutes of microwave time total.
• Turn the mixture onto foil, crumble, and set aside.
• Pat remaining oat mixture into your glass dish (this will be the crust), and microwave on 50% power for 3-5 minutes until the surface appears bubbly. If you don’t know how to change your microwave power (I don’t), you’ll probably only need 1-2 minutes; keep an eye on it and/or rotate to make sure it doesn’t burn.
• Stir almonds into Cherry Hummus so that they’re fully incorporated
• Once the crust has cooled a bit, spread the Cherry Hummus and almond mixture evenly on top.
• Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly on top, and microwave 30-60 seconds until they start to melt slightly.
• Sprinkle the oat topping on top
• Cut into bars and ENJOY!

Mango Hummus Macadamia Dream Bars

Ingredients

• 1.5c quick oats
• ¾ c flour (sub any kind of flour)
• ⅓ c hemp hearts
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ⅔ c packed brown sugar
• ⅔ c butter
• 2 containers Lantana Mango Hummus
• ½ c chopped macadamia nuts
• ½ c shredded coconut
  

Directions

• Optional: toast the macadamia nuts in a dry pan, and set aside to cool.
• Stir together oats, flour, sugar, hemp hearts, and baking soda.
• Melt butter and stir into oat mix
• Spread 1 cup of the oat mix into an ungreased glass dish and microwave for one minute, then stir. Microwave for another minute, and stir, until it turns into a crumbly texture just softer than granola. LIkely approximately 2-3 minutes of microwave time total.
• Turn the mixture onto foil, crumble, and set aside.
• Pat remaining oat mixture into the dish (this will be the crust), and microwave on 50% power for 3-5 minutes until the surface appears bubbly. If you don’t know how to change your microwave power (I don’t), you’ll probably only need 1-2 minutes; keep an eye on it and/or rotate to make sure it doesn’t burn.
• Stir macadamia nuts into Mango Hummus so that they’re fully incorporated.
• Once the crust has cooled a bit, spread the Mango Hummus and macadmia mixture evenly on top.
• Sprinkle shredded coconut and oat mix evenly on top
• Cut into bars and ENJOY!

Created in partnership with Lantana Foods, which is a client of Fit Approach’s. I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity and for your support of our brand partners!