Cherry Oatmeal Bars

This blog isn’t readily described as being jam-packed with things that are good for you. I fervently believe that we all need a sweet treat now and then, and I do so enjoy baking them.

Recently, the good folks at Cooking Light offered to send me a copy of their new cookbook, Cooking Light Way to Bake. Despite the baking indulgences of this blog, I do bake a surprising number of recipes from Cooking Light, so I readily accepted.

I bookmarked several recipes to try on my first pass through the book. Knowing how much Quinn would like them, I decided to make these bars first. I have a propensity for baking bars and cookies with oats. I love the flavor and texture they add to baked goods.

The filling is a bit different than most oat bars in that it features sour cream. It serves as a complement to the cherries and also as a bit of baking glue to hold the filling together.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about these bars is that those good folks I mentioned earlier are going to send a copy of Cooking Light Way to Bake to a couple of lucky BoB readers! This book is full of great recipes, photos, and tips. It would be a great addition to your baking library.

Here are the details for entering:

UPDATED 12/19/2011: The winners have been randomly chosen and contacted with the good news. Congratulations, Jennifer and Michelle!

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Cherry Oatmeal Bars

Yield 24 bars

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

These chewy oatmeal bars are perfect for when you want a sweet treat that won't weigh you down!

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Ingredients

For the crust:

• 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons orange juice

For the filling:

• 1 & 1/3 cups dried cherries (about 6 ounces)
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Instructions

To make the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Spray an 11″x 7″ baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Whisk together flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Drizzle butter and orange juice over flour mixture. Stir until moistened and mixture is crumbly.
3. Reserve 1/2 cup of crust mixture. Press remaining crust mixture into bottom of prepared pan.

To make the filling:

1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and stir well. Spread filling mixture over crust in pan. Sprinkle evenly with reserved crust mixture.
2. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until edges are golden. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Way to Bake.

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• 
  Fat Daddio's Sheet Cake Pan, 7 x 11 x 2 Inch, Silver
• 
  Cooking Light Way to Bake

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