Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

I love eating oats and baking with oats. Beside my favorite Oatmeal Raisin Cranberry Cookies I thought I change it a bit today and made it into bars instead of individual cookies. I used cranberries in these bars but it could be made with almost any dried fruits. These little bars are great to snack on and pretty nutritious too.


Filling:

3/4 cup of strawberry jam – you can replace it with any type of fruity jam
1 cup of dried cranberry – you can replace it with any type of dried fruits

Ingredients for crust:

1 ½ cups flour
1 cup of roll oats
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon powder
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 stick/113 grm/1/2 cup melted butter

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degree F. Line and greased an 8” x 8” square baking pan.
2. For the filling mix together the jam and the dried fruits. Set aside.
3. For the crust, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Stir in the oats and walnuts. Add the melted butter, egg and vanilla and stir until incorporated.
4. Using your clean fingers, lightly press half of the crust mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the filling over the crust leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pan. Cover the top with the remaining crust mixture and gently press to flatten it up.
5. Bake until light golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 1 hour. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.