Baked {Cranberry Walnut Oat Bars}

One thing I have learned during my pregnancy is that our baby must have quite the sweet tooth.  At the very least, it’s bringing out the sweet tooth in its mama  

A couple of weeks ago my friend Jessie invited me over to her house for a clothing swap.  Since I am not really in a position right now to be swapping clothes, I told her I would bring a dish to share.  A few days before I had an oatmeal raisin cookie {okay two, one for me, one for the baby} from Au Bon Pain and I could not stop thinking about them.  I didn’t want to bring cookies, so instead, I made Cranberry Walnut Oat Bars.  I adapted the recipe from under the Quaker Oats container top which oddly is not the same as the recipe online.

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of butter, softened
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups rolled oats, raw
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until creamy.

Add the eggs and vanilla; beat well.

Combine all of the dry ingredients, then add them to the mixture.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the oats, cranberries and walnuts until well combined.

Pour the batter into a 13×9 ungreased metal baking pan.  I used a flexible spatula to spread it evenly.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  If you’re like me, start cleaning up your messy kitchen while the bars bake.

Cool completely before removing from the pan.  

The only way I think I would improve on these is to add some chocolate chips.  Otherwise, they were perfect.  Great for snacking or to be served alongside a brunch spread.

 Happy Baking!