I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I absolutely LOVE oatmeal raisin cookies. Especially nice and chewy ones loaded with raisins. So when I was thinking about what I could bake they came to mind immediately. Then I had a brilliant idea to try and make them into bars… well I thought I was brilliant until I googled “Oatmeal Raisin Bars” and about a million results popped up! Oh well, why reinvent the wheel, right? So I picked one of the first recipes for them that I came across, which happened to be from the one and only Martha Stewart.
I did change Martha’s recipe a bit, in order to cut back on the butter. Her recipe called for 1 1/2 sticks! So, I replaced some of it with unsweetened applesauce and I was pretty pleased with the results. The bars were just as good…dare I say better than oatmeal raisin cookies?! I loved how darn easy they were and mess free too since all you have to do is dump the batter in a pan instead of plop out individual cookies. This is a great recipe when you are in a hurry and don’t have a ton of prep time.
Ingredients:
– 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
– 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
– 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
– 1/4 cup granulated sugar
– 1 large egg
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
– 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
– 1 cup raisins
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugars, egg, salt, and cinnamon until smooth.
3. Add flour, oats, and raisins; fold in just until combined.
4. Spread batter in prepared pan, and bake 30-35 minutes.
5. Cool completely in pan (at least an hour.)
6. Using paper overhang, lift onto a work surface; cut into 16 bars.
Enjoy 🙂
It's only fair to share...
0
0
00
Yummmmmmm. these are almost perfect, Holly. they are missing walnuts-otherwise, they sound ideal! : )