apple sauce oat breakfast bars
I created this recipe when my daughter joined the girl’s basketball team in junior high. I was trying to come up with something that was reminiscent of the Quaker oatmeal breakfast bars when they first came out in the late ’90’s I think, and they were like 4” square and almost 1” thick with a sugar glaze piped on them. This is what I ended up with and they never turn out the same way because of adding this or that to it, or leaving something out because I don’t have it…but the one thing that remains the same is people cannot get enough of these & I get asked for the recipe constantly!!
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prep time
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method
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Ingredients
- WET INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup applesauce, unsweetened or 1 c pumpkin** {if you are feeling froggy or need more moisture, add both}
- 1 - egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1/2 cup dark molasses
- 1/4-1 cup peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground giner, optional
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional
- 1/4 cup flax seeds, grounf or whole, optional
- DRY INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2-2 cups oats, i use old fashioned
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1-1 1/2 cups cranberries, chopped frozen {food processor} or dried
- 1/2 cup pecans, in pieces
- 1/3-1 cup raisins
How To Make apple sauce oat breakfast bars
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Step 1Preheat oven to 400°F.
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Step 2Mix all the wet ingredients together in a large bowl. I usually will use hand mixer to make sure all the spices & wet ingredients are well distributed & incorporated well.
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Step 3Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.
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Step 4DO NOT over mix—just mix until dry ingredients are moistened. I use the big food service spatulas for this.
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Step 5Dump into a greased 9x13” baking pan.
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Step 6Bake at 400°F 35-40 minutes {sometimes closer to the hour mark} or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean & they are a deep golden brown color. You may bake them longer if a drier bar is desired, as these are on the very moist side.
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Step 7Can be cut after cooled well & wrapped in saran wrap or put into baggies for on the go. These can be left out for the day like in a lunch or even overnight, with no problems, but I recommend refrigerating remaining bars.
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Step 8NOTES: **If you are adding both, may need to adjust the flour amount; play around but keep track of the amounts of your changes. —I think that the applesauce or pumpkin, whatever your really wet ingredient is, probably needs to be in this. This is a dense and filling bar. —The greatest thing about this is if you don’t have something, don’t worry, add what you have on hand or what sounds good, like chocolate chips. —No adjustment for high altitude needed; unsure about sea level {might not need as much baking powder as I find I need at elevation}. —Can be portioned into muffin tins. Adjust baking time and temperature as needed. —Can be adjusted for allergies as needed. Adjust baking times accordingly.
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Post a picture of your finished recipe here and on your favorite social network. Don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes!
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