Category Archives: Bars

Pumpkin Oat Bars

We had a special birthday in the office the other day and one of her favorite things to eat is pumpkin flavored treats . Luckily I still have a stock pile of puréed pumpkin in our freezer from our generous neighbors . I love using pumpkin purée in baked goods.

Sometimes I like to add it as a mystery ingredient for moisture and other times I like it to be the star of the show . Puréed pumpkin is a very moist and packed nutrients. It is a perfect substitute to swap out some unnecessary fat with oil or butter in a baked good. Pumpkin is high in vitamin A and bonus only 30 calories per 1 cup cubed. 

Ingredients:

1 cup pure puréed pumpkin

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup puffed wheat cereal

1 cup raw sugar

1 oz chocolate hazelnut spread

1/2 cup peanut butter 

1/2 cups dried craisins
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 9 baking dish with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Thoroughly mix together in a large bowl the first 7 ingredients and then fold in the dried cranberries. 
3. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Spread the batter evenly into the baking dish. 
4. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 
5. Allow to cool, cut into 16 bars, and enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Chip Bars

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I love to take recipes and make them healthier. These bars called for butter and regular ap flour. I went ahead and made the switch to whole wheat pastry flour and substituted the butter for some canola oil and pureed pumpkin. I know not everyone likes pumpkin so if not use a really ripe banana or unsweetened applesauce. This will help with the moisture. My husband loves….loves pumpkin and he couldn’t even tell I added it to this baked good.   Also I swapped out the semi sweet chips with dark chocolate chips.

This recipe yields 15 bars

Predirection:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray with cooking spray a 9 by 13 inch glass pan.

 

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs (lightly beaten)

3/4 cup brown sugar or raw sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup pureed pumpkin

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup of dark chocolate chips

 

Directions:

  1. In a medium to large bowl mix flour, salt, soda, and baking powder with large spoon.
  2. Add in canola oil, pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla. Mix all ingredients well and fold in chocolate chips.
  3. Spread the batter into a prepared glass 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Spread the batter evenly with spatula. The trick to making sure the batter does not stick to the spatula is spraying it with cooking spray. Make sure the batter is evenly spread &  place the pan in the preheated oven at 350 degrees. Bake for 17 minutes or until toothpick comes out of center clean (without any wet residue).
  4. Enjoy!

 

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Pumpkin Oat Cranberry Bars

Pumpkin! Fall! Need I say more with dried cranberries ?! Bonus these bars are vegan too! 


Yields: 16 bars

Ingredients:  
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup puréed pumpkin (roasted)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup raw sugar

1 tb pumpkin pie spice

2 cups 100% old fashioned oats

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 9 baking dish with foil. Set aside.

2. Mix together in a large bowl first 6 ingredients and then fold in the cranberries. 

3. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Spread batter evenly into the baking dish. 

4. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

5. Allow to cool, cut into 16 bars, and enjoy!

Whole Grain Raisin Oat Bars

 
 I love baking… I know no surprise!  Today I was reviewing my food network magazine September 2015 edition and came across the 50 bars insert. I must say I adore the inserts of 50 recipes of a specific item!! I couldn’t wait to try one …. Okay so I tried two tonight. I did some mods to the oat bars (#15) and this is what I came up with. 

Pre-directions preheat oven to 350 in line a glass 9 by 13 baking dish with foil. Set aside.

This recipe yields 18 bars

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of rolled oats (not instant)

1 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of baking powder

2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter softened

1/2 a cup of unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup Canola oil

2 eggs

2 cups of raisins

3/4 cup of brown sugar (not packed)

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

Directions:

1. In a stand mixture cream together, butter, applesauce, vanilla, and canola oil with both sugars. 

2. Decrease mixer to low and add in rolled oats, flour, salt, and baking powder. Also add eggs at this time adding one egg at a time. 

3.  Finally add in raisins and mix one last time until all raisins are well incorporated. 

4. Place batter in prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven an allow to cool before cutting into bars.

Apple Breakfast Oat Bars

  

I was saving these apples from my grandpa’s to make an apple crisp but what the heck this is like an apple crisp for breakfast. I’m going for it! Oh happy Sunday!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. parchment line an 8 by 8 baking pan. Set aside. 
Ingredients:

Oat Pastry Ingredients:

1 cup Old fashioned Oats

1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1/2 cup raw sugar

5 TB Canola Oil

3 TB unsweetened applesauce

1/2 TB ground Vietnamese cinnamon 

pinch of kosher salt

1 TB Ground Flaxseeed

Apple filling:

4 small transparent (early) apples (cored and sliced thin)

1 tsp ground Vietnamese cinnamon

1 TB unsalted butter

2 TB raw sugar 

Pinch of kosher salt 

This recipe yields 9 bars 
Directions:

1. Place apples, cinnomon, butter, 2 TB raw sugar in small quart pan on low to medium heat. Heat apples for 5-7 minutes until they start to break down almost like chunky applesauce. Stir occasionally. After time has elapsed allow to cool slightly prior to placing on oat batter. 

2. In a medium bowl mix together flaxseed, applesauce, canola oil, oats, cinnamon, sugar, and pastry flour. Mix with hands until mixture is course but well incorporated. 

3. Divide oat mixture in half. Place half the mixture down on the bottom of the 8 by 8. Press into the parchment paper. Place the slightly cooled apple filling on first layer. Spread evenly. Finally top with remains oat mixture. Make sure to spread the topping evenly.

4. Bake for 45 minutes and remove from oven and allow to cool on wire rack before cutting into bars. 

  

Chocolate Peanut Brownies


All day long I swear I could smell brownies. So when I got home from work I had to bake some! I found a recipe in an old Betty Crocker Cookie Cookbook that I modified to present day! This one is for you Jenna! My sister loves her coconut oil!

This yields 9-12 brownies

Ingredients:

2 oz pure dark chocolate

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 TB peanut butter

1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Predirections:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 by 8 dish with foil and spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Directions:

1. Place chocolate, coconut oil, and peanut butter in 2 qt sauce pan in low heat. Keep stirring occasionally until chocolate melts.

2. Remove from heat and add vanilla and eggs and mix to incorporate. Add in sugar and continue to mix.

3. In s separate bowl mix flour, salt, baking soda until incorporated. Add into melted chocolate batter and mix to incorporated. Lastly fold in peanuts.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

5. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let the brownies sit in pan for 5 to 10 minutes before pulling the foil out and cutting the brownies.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Raisin bars


  

We had our monthly NST meeting today. I decided to make some whole grain oatmeal bars for the meeting since these are super quick and easy. They are also perfect for an after lunch snack! They remind me of an oatmeal raisin cookie but without the butter !

Yields 20 bars

Ingredients

2 TB Ground flaxseed 

2/3 cup raw sugar 

1 TB pure maple syrup

1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup 100% quick oats

1 cup 100% old fashioned oats

1/4 c canola oil

1/2 c unsweetened applesauce

1 c  whole wheat pastry flour

1/2  cup of raisins

9 by 13 baking dish 

Parchment paper

Cooking spray
Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees and parchment line a 9 x 13″ baking pan. Spray with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl mix together with whisk both oats, flour, flaxseed, sugar, allspice, baking soda, & salt . Add applesauce, maple syrup, canola oil, and mix to incorporate. 

3. Lastly fold in raisins. Pour batter into 9 x 13 pan and press the batter into the pan evenly. It helps to spray a spatula with cooking spray to prevent sticking and smooth the bars prior to placing in the oven.

4. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire rack. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

   
   

Enjoy! I know my husband and the team did!

Ginger Oatmeal Raisin Bars

  
These are a sample of whole grain goodness. My kitchen smells amazing while these are baking in the oven! 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans or slivered almonds (I used a combo since I had some roasted pecans leftover from another baked good)

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup raw sugar

1 egg 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 TB crystallized ginger

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1 1/3 cup 100% old fashioned oats

1 TB honey

1 tsp good quality vanilla extract 

1/4 tsp almond extract

8 by 8 glass baking dish

Parchment paper

This recipe yields 8 bars or 9 squares

Directions: 

1. Whisk together oil, honey, sugar, flaxseed,egg,extracts in a large bowl. Mix well to incorporate. Add in flour, salt, soda, and oats.  Use spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients throughout. Fold in raisins and nuts. 

2. Place parchment paper into baking vessel. Pour batter evenly (it will be thick pasty like) into dish press with spatula. 

  
3. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes befor cutting into bars. 

4. Enjoy! 

Rhubarb Custard Bars

 

Today I picked my first batch of rhubarb. I have been wanting to make these bars for a while but didn’t have quite enough rhubarb in the freezer. So once my rhubarb was ready to harvest this was the first recipe I had to try. The original is on taste of home, I couldn’t leave well enough alone as my mom would say so I had to cut down on the saturated fats by swapping out some of the heavy cream, eggs, and butter. I also decreased sugar, & added whole grain to the crust.

 

This recipe yields 36 bars 


Ingredients:

Crust Ingredients:

1 cup ap flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

6 TB unsalted butter (cold) cubed

1/4 cup sugar

Custard ingredients:

1 3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup fat free half and half 

5 cups chopped rhubarb

1 Tsp vanilla pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup egg substitute 

Cream Cheese Topping

1 (8 oz block of reduced fat cream cheese)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup fat free half and half

1/2 cup whip cream 

Directions:

Mix with hands mix butter, sugar and flour. Until the mixture resembles wet sand.

Press the mixture into 9 by 13 glass pan (sprayed with cooking spray). Bake for 10 minutes. 

Take out of oven and set aside.
    

In the meantime mix half and half, cream, egg substitute, sugar, & vanilla. Add in rhubarb mix to combine.

  
 Pour over crust. 

 
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
  

Set aside and allow to cool. In the meantime whip up cream and fat free half and half until thickened. Mix on high speed in a large mixing bowl with whisk attachment until thick. Place in refrigerator . In a separate bowl beat cream cream, sugar, and vanilla. Fold in cream mixture. 
 

Spread over cooled bars.  

Enjoy!

   

Meyer Lemon Poppyseed Blondies

 My husband and I went to the strip district last weekend and I was surprised to see Meyer Lemons for a decent price! I had to pick some up. The first item to make to come to mind was a blondie aka nonchocolate brownie. This is definitely a spring time refreshing dessert despite the snow we encountered this lovely April morning. 

Pre directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Foil line an 8 by 8 glass baking dish. Spray with cooking spray. Set aside. 

Recipe yields 9 Blondies 

Batter Ingredients: 

8 TB of canola oil

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup AP flour

1/4 tsp kosher salt

6 TB egg substitute or 4 large egg whites

1/2 a Meyer lemon zested (1tsp) and 1/2 lemon juiced (1tb)

1 TB poppyseeds (optional)
Lemon glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 Meyer lemon juiced and zested (the other half)

1. Place the canola oil, zest, sugar and salt into a medium mixing bowl.  

2. Mix to incorporate. Add egg substitute and use a whisk to incorporate but do not over mix. 

   

3. Add lemon juice and poppyseeds and mix in with whisk.

  
4. Add flour and mix until no dry residue remains. 

5. Pour batter into prepared dish and bake for  23- 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out of the center clean. 
  
6. Allow to cool to room temperature before glazing. 

7. Place all glaze ingredients in small bowl whisk until no lumps remain.  

 

8. Remove blondie from pan using sides of foil and pour glaze over top to cover. 

9. Cut into 9 squares and enjoy!