A Quick Breakfast on the Run for Your Busy Life

            Store bought, premade breakfast bars are not always the healthiest solution to breakfasts on the run, so I want to share this recipe made with whole wheat flour, oatmeal, and ground flax.

            Make them ahead of time and freeze each of the sixteen bars individually. For those hurried mornings, microwave one frozen bar on high for 30 seconds, and you are out the door with warm oatmeal in your hand. Yes, the recipe does have butter in it for moisture and tenderness, but remember this makes sixteen bars: that’s only just over two teaspoons of butter per bar.

            I hope this recipe will take a bite out of your busy mornings. Until next time... Happy Cooking!

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Recipe created by Chef Dez    www.chefdez.com

“The benefit of oatmeal in a convenient bar. Great for Breakfast on the run too – Microwave each bar from frozen for 30 seconds on high power.”

Makes 16 bars

2 ¼ (two and a quarter) cups whole wheat flour

2 ¼ (two and a quarter) cups quick oats

¾ (three quarters) cup raisins

3 tbsp ground flax seed

1½ (one and one half) tsp baking soda

1½ (one and one half) tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

¾ (three quarters) cup butter, room temperature

½ (one half) cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

1 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1½ (one and one half) tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with baking spray. Tip: Line the pan with parchment paper leaving the ends sticking out to make the uncut product easier to remove from the pan once cooled.

2.     Combine the whole wheat flour, quick oats, raisins, ground flax seed, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt in a mixing bowl.

3.     Beat the butter and Splenda Brown Sugar Blend together in a separate bowl.

4.     Add the apple sauce, vanilla extract and eggs to the butter and Splenda/butter mixture. Continue beating until thoroughly combined.

5.     Combine the mixtures in the two bowls together. It will be a very thick batter.

6.     Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

7.     Bake for 18-20 minutes until firm.

8.     Cool in the pan until room temperature.

9.     Cut into 16 equal bars by removing the product from the pan first.

Makes 16 bars