Turn plain oatmeal into delicious, healthy snack bars.
The consumption of oatmeal has several potential benefits. Oatmeal is believed to lower LDL or "bad" cholesterol, which can reduce the risk of developing heart disease. To achieve these benefits, the oatmeal should be pure and not loaded with sugar and other additives and preservatives. Unfortunately, this is how many commercial oatmeal snacks are manufactured. Homemade oatmeal bars can offer all the benefits of oatmeal at a fraction of the price and minus the unwanted ingredients of their store bought counterparts.
Instructions
Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
1. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan with butter or margarine. Set aside and preheat an oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place 3/4 cup butter into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir and continue to heat in 15-second increments until it is completely melted.
3. Pour the butter, one package of yellow cake mix and 2 1/2 cups of rolled oats into a large bowl. Stir until the ingredients are well incorporated. The resulting mixture should crumble.
4. Place three cups of the crumble mixture into the cake pan. Spread evenly and pack it down over the entire bottom of the pan.
5. Pour 1 cup sugar-free strawberry jam and 1 tbsp. water into a separate bowl. Stir.
6. Pour the strawberry jam over the crumble mixture in the pan. Spread the jam over the crumbs to form an even layer.
7. Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture over the jam. Spread into an even layer.
8. Bake the oatmeal bars for approximately 20 minutes, or until the top layer is golden brown. Allow the bars to cool before cutting. Store in a covered container on a pantry shelf or kitchen counter.
Oatmeal Granola Bars
9. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
10. Pour 1 cup rolled oats, 1 tbsp. unbleached flour, 4 tbsp. corn syrup, 2 tbsp. honey and 1/2 cup raisins into a large bow. Stir.
11. Add one egg and stir until it is well incorporated with the other ingredients.
12. Pour 3 tbsp. sunflower seeds, 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tbsp. canola oil into the bowl. Stir.
13. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Pour the ingredients onto the sheet and spread them into an even layer with a spatula. Bake the bars for approximately 30 minutes, or until the top layer is golden brown and the bars are free of moisture. Cool the bars before cutting and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Tags: bowl Stir, crumble mixture, even layer, approximately minutes, approximately minutes until
