Little Man is four

Oatmeal Bars Revisited

I wanted to revisit these and add a few developments.   ;)  In the last couple of years it's become more and more important to me to make things from scratch.  I keep reevaluating what we're eating and trying to figure out what I can just make myself.  Granted, time has been an issue.  But, these are quick and easy and I can make them ahead of time.  I bake them once a week to serve for breakfast one morning (usually the day before) and once a month or so I bake them, cut them and put them in individual snack bags to freeze for snacks.  They have plenty of sugar but no corn syrup or soybean oil and anything I can't pronounce. 

 

It says 1 cup raisins or dried fruit.  Our favorite combination is dried cranberries and chocolate chips.  But I've tried a little homemade peanut butter, 1 whole banana and almonds too.  We also like a tsp of almond extract ; )

 

I used to make these all the time, but we started popping them like crazy.  With the kids a little older they've come in handy for on the go breakfasts and snacks (rather than eating prepackaged granola bars).

Chewy Fruit and Oatmeal Bars

3/4 c firmly packed sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 cup applesauce
1egg
2 T vegetable oil
2 T milk
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
3c oats
1 cup raisins or dried fruit

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  combine 1st seven ingredients.  Separately mix remaining ingredients except oats and fruit.  Combine two mixtures and then add oats and fruit.

Spread into bottom of 9x13 baking pan (ungreased).  Bake 28-32 minutes.