Related Posts Widget for Blogs by LinkWithin

Monday, December 28, 2009

Oats and Berry Squares

easy recipe for kids' healthy oatmeal and berry bars
We baked a few goodies for the Holiday Season - we meaning me mainly, with my little girl being a fairly willing but rather inexperienced sous chef :)

Mostly Christmas Sugar cookies, some Lemon Butter cookies and a batch of these fairly "healthy" oats and berry squares. I had canned some Blueberry+Raspberry preserves from all the berries we picked over summer which seemed like a good filling for these simple oats and berry bars.

If using butter alternatives like Smart Balance™ or Earth Balance™ they don't behave the same way as traditional butter - they are too soft. If shaping them into cookies, preferably refrigerate for 2-4 hrs before working with it and even then, work really fast... but, as far as these bars go, it seemed fine - we just want a crumbly mixture to pack at the bottom and the Smart Balance™ Omega that I used seemed to work all right.

Ingredients
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup Smart Balance™ Omega butter or regular unsalted butter
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup berry preserves

Preparation
  1. Beat brown sugar and butter until fluffy
  2. Stir in flour and baking powder till it makes a crumbly mixture; reserve ¼ cup (or more) mixture for topping
  3. Grease an 8-inch baking pan and pat the crumbly mixture at the bottom in a single uniform layer; spread the berry preserve in a single uniform layer over it; top with the reserved crumbly mixture
  4. Bake in a 350°F oven for about 30-40 minutes till brown
  5. Cool on a wire rack and cut into little squares or into rectangular bars. I like to cut it into little squares so it is easy to allow the kids to enjoy a reasonable portion at a time.

easy recipe for kids' healthy oatmeal and berry bars

Labels: , ,

5 Comments:

  • At 10:51 PM, Blogger gerda said…

    Does your comment about earth balance margarine being too soft also include the Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks?

     
  • At 7:30 AM, Blogger Siri said…

    It is interesting how you replace butter with smart balance. is there a big difference in the taste?.. I wish to start using alternatives to butter..

    Happy New Year 2010 sheela - to you and your family.

    Siri

     
  • At 2:24 PM, Anonymous ruchikacooks said…

    Wishing you all a very happy new year Sheela.

     
  • At 8:26 PM, Blogger Sheela said…

    HI Gerda, I have not used the buttery sticks ou mentioned - just the spreadable butter that comes in a tub.

    HI Siri, I don't see any difference, but that could be because we use the same for toast and other uses so we probably got used to it :)

    Wonderful 2010 to you and your family too!!

    HI Ruchika, Thanks a bunch for having us in your thoughts! Wishing you the best in 2010!

     
  • At 8:16 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Sheela,
    Thought you should start the New Year with a Blog Award. Go here to
    grab your honor--
    http://proactiveblackparenting.blogspot.com/2009/12/15-fabulous-blogs-share-love-and-award.html.

    You so deserve it and more! Happy New Year!
    Much love!

     

Post a Comment

<< Home

Newer›  ‹Older