Oat bars

I adapted a recipe for granola bars from Nava Atlas' website

Her recipe called for granola, which I didn't have, and I also upped the flax seed and added some nuts. I added extra applesauce to get the batter moistened and used a different oil.

Whatever I have in the Pantry Oat Bars:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
4 T ground flaxseed
1/2 t baking soda
2 T natural granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 + 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 T olive oil
1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 cup random dried berry assortment (I got this at Trader Joes, where I am sure
it has a much nicer name. I think the berries included cranberries, blueberries and cherries)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Combine the flour, flaxseed, baking soda, sugar and salt in a bowl
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add 1/2 cup applesauce
and the olive oil

Begin to combine, but if the batter is too dry just keep adding applesauce as needed

The batter will get fairly thick once the applesauce and the flour mixture are incorporated

Add in the rolled oats, nuts and berries and stir

If it's not coming together add in a bit more applesauce

Pour the batter into a lightly oiled 8 x 8 inch pan and pat down

Bake for about 20 min, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

Let cool and then cut into bars

This made 9 bars (I cut them small to use for snacks) and they were soft and cakey, but not too soft. I think some cinnamon would have been a nice addition, and perhaps instead of sugar a T of maple syrup would have been nice. These were incredibly simple to make, you only need to wash one bowl (which is good for me because I am terrible at dishes) and are pretty healthy. They also taste great warm.