Oat Nut Bars

Last Year's Post: Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken and Brown Rice Bowls
Two Years Ago:   Brazilian Burrito Bowls

The inspiration for this post started with golf, believe it or not.  I don't golf - I would actually pay money NOT to golf - but The Lawyer does.  He bought a giant box of Kirkland trail mix at Costco quite a while back to use as snacks while golfing, and he recently ran out.  Problem is, summer is coming up quickly and in Phoenix that means hot.  The trail mix contains M&Ms.  Can you say melted chocolate in the golf bag?  I had just watched a PBS show where Ellie Krieger, a noted nutritionist, made these power bars and said they were great for after a workout at the gym because you just throw a frozen one in your gym bag and it'll thaw by the time you're done.  That seemed perfect for golf in the summer.

This is a very healthy recipe with fiber, high-quality protein and natural sweeteners, but it's also delicious.  I made two tweaks to her recipe - I added some coconut, and I used a parchment cradle in the baking dish to make it easier to remove the bars.  All you do is put a piece of parchment in the bottom of the dish, with enough coming up two opposite sides that you can grasp it after baking to lift the bars out as one piece.  That makes it easier to cut them, but you could also cut them in the baking pan and take them out with a spatula if you don't want to do the parchment trick.

The bars are great for an after-school snack, a mid-morning or mid-afternoon boost at work, or after a workout.  And of course, golf.

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Oat Nut Bars

Makes 12 bars

Note: wrap individual bars in foil or cling wrap, put them all in a gallon bag in the freezer, and take one out as needed.  They thaw in about two hours at room temperature.

1 cup rolled oats (not instant or quick-cooking oats)

¾ cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup maple syrup

1/3 cup plain, unsweetened applesauce

¼ cup canola or safflower oil

1 large egg

½ cup chopped dried cranberries

½ cup finely chopped walnuts

½ cup finely chopped skin-on almonds

½ cup unsalted sunflower seeds (or finely chopped other nuts)

1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut, optional

Preheat oven to 350d.  Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking oil spray.  (Tip: cut a piece of parchment paper the width of the bottom of the pan and long enough that the ends go up and over the sides of the pan, forming a cradle.  Place the parchment in the baking pan and spray lightly with cooking spray.  This will help you get the bars out of the pan later.)

Whisk together the oats, whole wheat flour, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.

In a larger bowl, lightly beat the egg, then add the maple syrup, applesauce, and oil and whisk until combined.   Stir in the oat mixture, then add the dried cranberries, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds and coconut (optional) until evenly incorporated.

Spread the mixture in the pan; bake for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely.  If you used a parchment cradle, grasp the sides of the parchment and gently lift the bars out whole before cutting.  If not, cut into 12 equal-sized bars before removing from the pan.

Per bar (without coconut):  250 cal, 15g total fat (2g saturated fat), 15mg chol, 60mg sodium, 26g carb, 3g fiber, 6g protein