Oatmeal-Raisin-Bars

Need a new snack idea for times when you’re in a time crunch?

When you’re pressed for time and hunger pangs beckon, it’s easy to become vulnerable to grabbing an unhealthy snack.

The solution? Be prepared!

Have a healthy snack on hand that fills you up and keeps you going--  like these oatmeal bars.

They work great for breakfast-on-the-go or as a quick snack any time of the day. And they’re only 165 calories, so you can add a low-fat yogurt for extra protein and a piece of fruit at breakfast and still not break the calorie bank if you’re watching calories.

Ingredients

· One  8-ounce container vanilla or plain low-fat yogurt

· 2  egg whites, lightly beaten

· 2  Tbsp. vegetable oil

· 2  Tbsp. skim milk

· 2  tsp. vanilla

· 1-1/2  cups all-purpose flour

· 1  tsp. baking soda

· 1  tsp. ground cinnamon

· 1/2  tsp. salt (optional)

· 3  cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

· 1  cup diced dried mixed fruit, raisins, or dried cranberries

· 3/4  cup firmly packed brown sugar

· 1/2  cup granulated sugar

Preparation

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, combine sugars, yogurt, egg whites, oil, milk, and vanilla; mix well. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well. Add to yogurt mixture; mix well. Stir in oats and fruit.

Spread dough onto bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan.

Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into bars. Store tightly covered.

Makes 24 servings.

This recipe leaves plenty of room for improvisation, so customize it to fit your taste buds. You can add different kinds of unsalted nuts like pecans, walnuts and cashews. Seeds also work great like pepitas (aka pumpkin seeds) and sunflower seeds. All kinds of dried fruits will add sweetness and nutritional value.  Just a sprinkle will do to keep calories in check. 

These moist bars are also a hit with kids, so bake up a batch and pack them up for the road!

Enjoy!

We found this recipe at www.Quakeroats.com