Aussie Bites—Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Snack Shack

I can’t say that I’m enticed by Australian food.  Truth is, I don’t know much about it.  Thanks to Sweet Pea’s fascination with Bluey, we did make the Australian national dessert, pavlova, last year.  Sweet Pea requests that whenever she’s ready for a little something special. 

On a recent visit to Aaron’s parents, my father-in-law offered us some Aussie Bites he’d picked up at Costco.  Gluten-free.  He has celiac, among other things, and he’s concerned about salt, cholesterol, and fat.  To say his diet is bland is a gross understatement.  We bring Mom, Queen Grandmother of the Picky Eaters, treats whenever we visit. 

And so with more than a little trepidation I took the proffered Aussie Bite.  And then I wanted another.  And another (but I think I restrained myself).  There was no way we were making a trip to Costco to get some ourselves.  We don’t have a card.  Even if we did, we certainly didn’t have time on that trip.  And we wouldn’t have spent that much on a snack anyway.

However, we did venture out to Grocery Outlet.  I absolutely love that store.  We scored a few flats of 29 oz cans of tomato paste for 99 cents each.  Have to keep the freeze-dryer fed, you know.  And on our travels up and down the aisles, we spotted some Aussie Bites.  They were a different brand and a lot cheaper, and we couldn’t keep from succumbing to the temptation.  How did they compare to Costco’s version?  If Costco’s Aussie Bites were a 100, these would rate a solid 97.  Not quite perfect, but at less than half the cost, very acceptable. 

After checking out the ingredients, I got to wondering whether we could make our own. 

We most certainly could.  And so instead of packing for a trip to visit Ellie and her family and getting on the road at a reasonable hour, I took an extra half hour to produce the homemade version of Aussie Bites. 

Aussie Bites

1 ¾ cups rolled oats, divided

¼ cup chopped dried apricots

¼ cup ground flaxseed

¼ cup quinoa, cooked

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 tablespoons chia seeds

½ cup coconut oil, melted

¼ cup honey

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Lightly grease a 24-count mini muffin tin.

Measure 1 cup of the rolled oats into a food processor and buzz for about 60 seconds, or until the oats become oat flour.

Add the remaining ¾ cup rolled oats with the rest of the dry ingredients.  Pulse until the dried fruits are tiny bits.

Pour in the melted coconut oil, honey, and vanilla extract.  Pulse until just combined.

Spoon dough into prepared muffin cups, to about 1/8-1/4” from the top of the cup. 

Bake 10-12 minutes, or just until golden brown.  Remove pan from the oven and cool Aussie Bites in the pan.

After cooling completely, remove the muffins from the pan.  Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Notes:  These are the exact ingredients listed on the package of the store-bought treats, with the exception of the choice in oil.  For best results, let them cool in the pan.  However, if you've only got a 12-count mini muffin pan, it's a little problematic.  Turning the Aussie Bites out early risks some of them falling apart.  The crumbs still taste good.  These can also be baked in regular-size muffin tins, but you'll need to adjust the baking time.  

I wish I could say these were a perfect copycat.  That will take a lot more tweaking.  There is a very fine line between perfectly baked and over-baked.  I appeared to have crossed that line with one of the three times I baked (because I have only a 12-count pan and I wanted mini-bites, not big bites).  I believe I will experiment with reducing the temperature slightly and baking a minute or two longer to see if I can get a softer mini-bite.  

Also, some of these ingredients are not items I normally stock and use, specifically the flax seed meal and chia seeds.  But I really like these healthy snacks, so I will probably start using them.  Of course, the flax seed meal has a short shelf life, so it will get vacuum-sealed in a canning jar to help with that issue.

Family reviews:  All agreed that the flavor was really good.  We were a bit disappointed that they were a little crumbly.  We also all decided that the chia seeds should be soaked overnight first.  Am I making them again?  Most definitely.