I’ve been searching for a good tasting, healthy, snacky, oat bar. Something that I can make a batch on Sunday, individually wrap (even stick in my freezer) and grab and go. Ideally, I’d like it to have a little bit of crunch and something that will stick to the ol’ ribs, not just fill me with carbs. And not be packed with white sugar, but still satisfies the sweet flavor. So, I did some preliminary searching on the inter-webs and found a few recipes. The first one of the “oat-bar search series” I’m sharing with you was from a website that I come across every now and then, Kath Eat’s. She’s a nutrition consultant like myself and has a huge resource of good recipes.

These bars are packed with flavor. For the dried fruit, I used dried blueberries, coconut, and golden raisins and they were fantastic together. They are all hugged by a cinnamon finish, leaving a pleasant aroma on your palate and nose. There is no added sugar in these either, which I liked. All the “sweet” comes from the dried fruit and it definitely works. In fact, the bit of salt that is added to the batter initially hits the tongue on first bite, very subtlety. But what it does is sets you up for the lovely and languid bursts of sweet you get from the fruits, and even the coconut (the coconut is not “sweetened” per se, but is considered part of the sweet-flavor family). My one complaint is the texture. They are made with egg, which makes them a bit chewy, spongy even. Texturally, I am looking for something that is a little bit crisp on the outside, and has a delicious pull to its chew. Sometimes I like things breaking off in my mouth with a satisfying crunch, but for the oat bars, my mind is craving crunch with some satisfying chew. If you have any favorite oat bar recipes, please I’d love to hear about them!

Cheers!

Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars, recipe from Kath Eat’s

Ingredients

1.5 cups rolled oats 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 3/4 cup dried fruit (Kath used 1/4 cup cranberry trail mix, 1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 cup chopped dried “just banana” from TJ’s; I used 1/2 cup dried blueberries, 1/4 cup golden raisins, and 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut shreds)) 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp kosher salt 1.25 cups milk (regular, soy, almond, rice…) 1 egg or egg substitute 1 tsp vanilla

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350* 2. Mix dry ingredients. 3. Mix wet ingredients. 4. Pour wet into dry. Stir to combine. 5. Pour into a 9×9 baking dish either coated in cooking spray or lined with parchment. 6. Bake for 40 minutes. 7. Cut into 9 squares.

Makes 9 servings . Each bar is appx. 165 calories, 3 grams fiber and 5 grams protein.

You can double the recipe and use a 9×13 baking dish. While delicious, the only sweetness in these comes from the dried fruit. Add in 1/4 – 1/2 cup brown sugar if you like.

The variations are endless: cranberries, coconut, all kinds of dried fruit, nuts, etc.