Oatmeal Cherry Bars

Towards the end of my pregnancy, I found myself with quite a sweet tooth. To attempt to curb that sweet tooth and stay (somewhat) healthy in the meantime, I made these oatmeal cherry bars which work great as  dessert or even better as a breakfast bar!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 C. old-fashioned rolled oats – finely grounded in a food processor
• 1/4 C. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 C. old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 2 C. light brown sugar 
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 C. of walnuts
• 1 C. dried cherries
• non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Stir together ground oats, flour, 1 cup of whole oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in a large bowl. Set aside. 

Beat brown sugar and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add oat mixture. Mix until combined. Mix in walnuts and cherries. 

Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Spread batter evenly across the pan. Scatter remaining oats across the top. Bake until golden, 35-40 minutes. Cool completely before cutting. 

You can also substitute dried cherries for dried cranberries, dates or even chocolate chips!

Happy eating!