Chewy Oatmeal Bars

Sorry I'm getting a little behind on posting recipes... we've had a trip to Great Wolf Lodge, 3 busy kids, stuff like that... Plus, I've been making a lot of Cook's Illustrated recipes lately- they're delicious, but copyrighted. I've been plenty busy in the kitchen lately!

So, here's a simple oatmeal bar recipe. They're kind of like granola bars, but softer & fluffier.

Chewy Oatmeal Bars
Printable version here

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup white sugar
4 ounces vanilla (or plain) yogurt
1 large egg white, beaten lightly
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup oats (I use old fashioned)
1/2 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)

1. Mix together sugars, yogurt, egg white, oil, milk and vanilla.

2. Sift together dry ingredients and add to mixture.

3. Stir in oats and raisins.

4. Spread dough onto an ungreased 8x8 inch pan.

5. Bake at 350º for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Yield: 16 bars.

(I normally skip the cinnamon, and make these with dried cranberries & chocolate chips- our family's favorite combination!)

Why I love these? They're an easy, healthy snack. One batch of these lasts us for a few days. I also like that I usually have these ingredients in the kitchen. Although, one thing you can learn from me- these really are best using vanilla or plain yogurt. All I had on hand last week was flavored yogurt, so I made it with peach- and they tasted a little funny. :) Chocolate & cranberry with a hint of peach... next time I'll stick to vanilla!

(Based on this recipe)