Hi, It's Erin from Suburban Simplicity! I'm super excited to be here sharing my first recipe with the NY Melrose Family - and it's a good one! These Cherry Oatmeal Streusel Bars are certainly yummy (be careful, they disappear fast), but they're also a wholesome snack since they contain antioxidants, Omega-3s and fiber!
Cherry Oatmeal Streusel Bars
As a busy family on the go, it's easy to gravitate towards pre-packed snack bars, but I prefer to make something more nutritious for my family and these bars do the trick. My husband doesn't even know there's a superfood hidden in here - he just thinks they're delicious! Shhh, don't tell!
The hubby got his first taste of what a heavenly {but healthy} homemade bar tastes like with this recipe for Easy Oatmeal Bars - It's now a family favorite and my most pinned recipe on Pinterest for months now. You can pin it here to make later.
Cherry Oatmeal Streusel Bars are easy to make, the prep time is about 25 minutes. Oh, and if you don't have dried cherries on hand, no problem, you can substitute dried cranberries or apricots. This delicious recipe makes about 20 bars.
These bars go great in lunches or double as a coffee cake to enjoy with your favorite morning beverage. They also make a tasty after school treat - I mean snack!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup flaxseed meal
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 egg whites lightly beaten
- ½ cup fat-free milk
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup dried cherries
- ¼ cup chopped pecans or almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges.
- In a medium bowl stir together the first 5 ingredients (through flaxseed meal). Remove ½ cup mixture for streusel topping. Stir baking soda into remaining oat mixture.
- In a small bowl, combine the next four ingredients (through vanilla); stir into oat mixture until combined. Stir in cherries and then spread batter in prepared baking pan.
- Using a pastry blender, cut butter into reserved streusel topping until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in pecans. Sprinkle evenly over batter.
- Bake 25-30 minutes or until center is set. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Using foil, lift out of pan. Cut into bars.
To Store
Layer the bars between waxed paper in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
This is the best way to eat your oatmeal and be healthy! Enjoy!
If you love baking with oatmeal as much as I do, you'll enjoy this recipe for Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.
As an active mom of 4, I have a houseful of ideas & inspiration to share! I’d love for you to follow along with all my crafting, baking and project making adventures on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or come over and be inspired where it all happens - Suburban Simplicity.
Brittany
I am literally walking to the kitchen to make these right now. YUM!