Book Sixty-One: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009

                      Cranberry-Oatmeal Bars

As I was looking for something to make for dinner these appeared before my eyes; and I have been wanting to bring a treat to the girls at the bank for some time, and cranberry bars fit the bill perfectly this time of year.

The filling for these bars tastes out of this world. Cranberry and orange together is what peanut butter is to jelly - the perfect combination. The scent of these bars baking alone puts you in a state of bliss.

Why do recipes say "cool completely"? Is it to protect themselves from a lawsuit if one is burned? When something smells as good as these cranberry bars do it is impossible to wait till completely cool to have a nibble. These are good - though a bit sweet - could probably cut the sugar by half. However I will not be sending these to the girls at the bank for I overcooked them a tad and I want perfection when I give my baked goods as a gift.

I'm sure the boys will enjoy them.

Success meter (1-3): 3

amazon

Look at all the yummy bits of orange zest!

Cranberry-Oatmeal Bars

Yields 24 bars

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp cinnamon

6 Tbl butter, melted

3 Tbl fresh orange juice

cooking spray

Filling:

1 1/3 cups dried cranberries (about 6oz)

¾ cup sour cream

½ cup sugar

2 Tbl all-purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp grated orange rind

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1.       Preheat oven to 325°.

2.       To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle butter and juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve ½ cup oat mixture. Press remaining oat mixture into bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3.       To prepare filling, combine cranberries and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Spread cranberry mixture over prepared crust; sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over filling. Bake at 325° for 40 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Cooking Light 2009