If you aren’t a chocoholic, or you simply want a break from chocolate desserts, I highly recommend these cranberry-oatmeal bars. The oatmeal crust layer contains orange juice, and the cranberry filling layer includes grated orange rind, which gives the bars an ideal sweet-tart balance. A portion of the oatmeal mixture is reserved to sprinkle over the top of the bars, adding nice texture. These bake up beautifully and are flexible – if you don’t like cranberries, swap in dried cherries or blueberries, and use lemon juice and zest instead of orange. Bake bars a day ahead of serving for best flavor.
Cranberry-Oatmeal Bars
From Cooking Light
Crust
1 cup flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp butter, melted
3 Tbsp orange juice
Filling
1 1/3 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
3/4 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp grated orange rind
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 325°F and spray an 11 x 7-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. To prepare crust, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle butter and orange juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened. Reserve 1/2 cup oat mixture. Press remaining oat mixture in the bottom of prepared baking dish.
To prepare filling, combine cranberries, sour cream, granulated sugar, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Spread cranberry mixture over prepared crust and sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over filling. Bake for 40 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
Yield – 24 bars (Serving size: 1 bar)
Calories – 133
Carbs – 22
