I don’t know about you, but I used to buy protein bars at the grocery store. However, they all seem to have more sugar than I prefer. The bars in this recipe taste great and are so convenient to grab and go – eat for a quick breakfast, lunch box addition or after school snack. They’re easy to make & can be doubled. What I especially like, even though I’m buying ingredients I would not necessarily have on hand, I can make them all the time and they freeze beautifully, therefore using up those ingredients.
GRAB & GO OATMEAL BARS
Preheat Oven: 350° Yields: 6 portions Calories: Approx. 160 calories per portion (w/o chocolate)
INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup Oats (not instant)
1-1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
3 Tsp. Brown Sugar
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 Cup Dried Fruit (cherries, apples, cranberries, blueberries, raisins – your choice)*
1/4 Cup Flaked Coconut
1/4 Cup Chopped Nuts – walnuts, almonds
1 Cup Unsweetened Almond or Almond/Coconut Milk (you can use any milk, but this is my preference)
2 Eggs
1 Tsp. Vanilla or Almond Extract
Optional: chop half (or whole) dark chocolate bar into mixture. If you use half, the calories added would be about 18.
DIRECTIONS:
Grease a 9 x 9 pan or a 9 x 13 baking dish**. Mix oatmeal, baking powder, brown sugar & cinnamon in a large bowl. Beat milk, eggs & vanilla in a small bowl. Add wet ingredients to the oatmeal mix. Let sit for about 20 minutes until the dry ingredients are somewhat absorbed into the wet. Stir in the fruit, nuts & coconut (and chocolate if you use that).
Spread into the prepared baking dish. Make sure to spread the mixture all over the pan, so all the ingredients are distributed throughout. Bake @ 350° for about 35-40 minutes. (Check at 35. Edges should be brown)
Shut off the oven and leave the pan in for about 10 minutes.
When completely cool, cut into 12 pieces (using the 9×13) or 6 (using the 9×9)**. You can also cut into squares. The 9 x 9 pan will make 6 portions. The 9×13 will make 6 portions by doubling the bars.
*Depending upon what fruit you use, you may want to soak it in water for a short while to soften.
**I line my 9 x 9 pan with parchment paper. When baked, I remove it using the paper and slip onto a plate. It makes it much easier to cut.
TIP: This mixture will look very wet. Don’t worry, it works. Also, before I put it in the oven I might put in more fruit. If I see that the amount is not enough, I just drop more in where I want it. If you have never made oatmeal bars before, these will not rise like cakes or cookies.
