Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

I made these sweet things for breakfast on Saturday. They can be relatively healthy, though lacking considerably in protein. They are pretty tasty, and the recipe is really versatile. Lots of options. The original is from Shopgirl. I did change some things up, making it a lower calorie version. Swapping oil for applesauce, "real" brown sugar for Ideal brown sugar, and "real" fruit syrup for Torani sugar-free raspberry syrup. Terribly processed, I know... You could just as easily make the recipe more natural by using coconut oil, pure cane sugar, and agave, respectively. Adding a little flax would probably be nice as well. If you don't have homemade fruit preserves handy (which I don't), I recommend Bonne Maman or something similar. 

Bottom line: these are really easy to make and very tasty. Everyone liked them. They would also be great as a sweet little snack. Take the basic recipe and run with it wherever you want!


Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar (or substitute of choice)
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
5 TBSP oil (or substitute of choice)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup fruit preserves
1 TBSP fruit syrup (or substitute of choice)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
• In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, honey and oil. Add to the dry mixture and mix well.
• In a small bowl, mix the fruit preserves and syrup.
• Place about 2/3 of the granola mixture in the prepared baking pan, making sure to press it into the corners and patting it down so it bakes evenly. Spread the preserves over it evenly. Top it with the remaining granola mixture.
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until you can see the preserves bubbling and the topping is golden.

Enjoy!